We now know what 'Hocus Pocus 2' is about (original) (raw)
Plus: Another original cast member is returning alongside Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy.
Published on November 1, 2021 11:20AM EDT
The Sanderson Sisters have awakened once more. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy have descended upon Rhode Island, where filming on Hocus Pocus 2 has officially begun, Disney announced Monday after Halloween.
But wait, witch, there's more: We now know what the sequel is about!
According to new plot details released by the Mouse House, the new Hocus Pocus will pick up 29 years after a teen named Max (played by Omri Katz in the original 1993 film) lit the Black Flame Candle and resurrected the three 17th-century child-essence-stealing sorceresses.
Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler, and Sarah Jessica Parker perform 'I Put a Spell On You' in 'Hocus Pocus'. Everett Collection
Winifred (Midler), Sarah (Parker), and Mary (Najimy) are now looking for revenge when they find themselves back in Salem in the present day. It's up to three high school students, who incite the wrath of the enchantresses, to stop them.
Those three teens are Becca (Gossip Girl's Whitney Peak), Cassie (Dirt's Lilia Buckingham), and Izzy (American Horror Stories' Belissa Escobedo).
Additional casting was announced on Halloween, with original Hocus Pocus actor Doug Jones returning for the sequel to reprise his role of Billy Butcherson, whom Winifred resurrected as a decaying dead man in the first movie.
Other new cast members include Ted Lasso Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham, Veep veterans Tony Hale and Sam Richardson, Vanquish actress Juju Brener, Teen Wolf alum Froy Gutierrez, Earwig and the Witch voice actress Taylor Paige Henderson, and newcomer Nina Kitchen.
"I am beyond thrilled to be involved in the sequel to a film that is as beloved as Hocus Pocus," director Anne Fletcher said in a statement. "Fans around the world have embraced these characters and have made this film a Halloween tradition whose popularity continues to grow, and how lucky am I to be back at Disney with these three extraordinarily talented ladies in the iconic roles they created, as well as our fabulous new additions to the cast?"
Hocus Pocus 2 will premiere on Disney+ in fall 2022.
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