I don’t know about you, but Hocus Pocus was one of my favorite movies as a kid, not just at Halloween but all year ’round. There was something so fun and silly and dare I say magical (yes, pun intended) about it and I always wished there was a sequel. I know I’m not alone, and now all fans of the classic Disney movie are getting what we’ve been asking for for years: Hocus Pocus 2 is officially happening.
- Adam Shankman confirmed the news. You might know Shankman from his work on movies including Glee, Hairspray, and A Walk to Remember among many others. He took to Instagram on Thursday, March 5 to share that he’s signed on not only to work on Hocus Pocus 2 but on the sequel to Enchanted. Best news ever! “Looks like I’ll be working on a looooooottttt of magic for awhile…” he wrote. “I feel incredibly honored and humbled to be guiding forward these two Disney crown jewel legacies. My only hope is to honor those who came before me and build something new and exciting, as I desperately try to not let down the fans and enchant the new initiates!”
- The original sisters will be back. There’s nothing worse than when a sequel is made with a whole new cast or even with a few key players missing, but thankfully it seems that Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimi are all on-board for the second installment. Whew!
- This has been in development for a while. In 2019, Disney hired screenwriter Jen D’Angelo to put together a script for Hocus Pocus 2, but projects are often known to fall apart at this stage. Thankfully, now that Shankman is confirmed to direct, it seems this is definitely a go.
- You’ll only be able to watch on Disney+. If you don’t already subscribe, you’ll need to get a subscription to Disney’s streaming platform, Disney+, if you want to watch Hocus Pocus 2 when it comes out. You’ll get more than just the sequel out of the deal—the platform includes basically every show and movie Disney has ever released, so there’s plenty to watch.