The Sanderson witches are back! Premiering exclusively on Disney+ in 2022, this sequel to the beloved cult classic from 1993 promises to bring back all the spooky fun from the original with a new cast of characters for the wild and weird witches to torment. Bette Midler (“The First Wives Club,” “Beaches”), Sarah Jessica Parker (“Sex and the City”) and Kathy Najimy (“Sister Act”) all reprise their roles as Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson, respectively. Accidentally resurrected by three young women into modern day Salem, the child-hungry witches must be stopped once again from unleashing their magical mayhem on an unsuspecting world. The three new female protagonists must work together to put an end to the Sanderson sisters before things truly get out of hand (again). How spooktacular!
Going into production this fall, Hocus Pocus 2 will be directed by Anne Fletcher (“The Proposal”, “27 Dresses”) and executive produced by her friend and colleague Adam Shankman (“Hairspray”, “The Wedding Planner”) who was originally slated to direct but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Ralph Winter (“Adrift”) and David Kirschner (“Curse of Chucky”) join Shankman as executive producers, with Steven Haft (“Tigerland”) joining as co-producer.
Fletcher and Shankman first met as dancers on the 1990 Academy Awards broadcast and have now worked together on over 100 different projects after Shankman hired Fletcher as his assistant choreographer. Fletcher’s first job as director was on the 2006 dance movie “Step Up”, in which Shankman helped produce. “As heartbroken as I am,” writes Shankman, “that I won’t be able to direct my friends Bette, Sarah Jessica and Kathy in what is sure to be nothing short of a major event for Disney+ due to scheduling conflicts, I couldn’t be more pleased to be handing over the reins to Anne, who has brought so much laughter and joy into people’s lives with her previous work. I am still grateful and proud to help shepherd this ingenious project as executive producer alongside producer Lynn Harris, whom I have loved and admired as a colleague and friend since she helped get me the job choreographing ‘Boogie Nights.’”
“Now more than ever,” says director Anne Fletcher, “people need to laugh. We should be laughing every day, and there is so much fun to be had with these three unbelievable women playing delicious characters from such a beloved film. I am so grateful to be able to play a part in bringing these witches back to life, and to be working with my friends at Disney again makes it all the more special. This is a movie for everyone, from the fans who grew up with the first film to the next generation of viewers, and I can’t wait to get started.”
