SALEM, Massachusetts (KXAN) — Protect your kids: The Sanderson Sisters from “Hocus Pocus” will be back next year, star Bette Midler announced Thursday on Twitter. A sequel to the 1993 film will be released on the digital streaming platform Disney+.
Disney revealed in 2019 that “Hocus Pocus 2” was in development and that the original stars — Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy — were all returning. It offered few other details at the time, and wouldn’t say when the movie would be released.
Last week, actress Thora Birch, who was just 11 years old when the original “Hocus Pocus” came out in 1993, first hinted at a 2022 release date and her own involvement. Birch is now 39.
“Hocus Pocus,” which was released to mixed reviews, has gone on to become a cult classic and a yearly viewing for many people each year around Halloween.
Midler, Parker and Najimy starred as the Sanderson Sisters, murderous witches who were accidentally reawakened by unknowing kids in the 1990s. One can likely assume a similar situation will reawaken the Sisters once again in the present day.
Last time, the witches had to get used to seeing things like a lighter, a vacuum cleaner and vehicles. No word yet on how they’ll interact with kids today, or our current reality of powerful smartphones, driverless cars and social media.