‘Hocus Pocus 3’ in the works at Disney
Following the success of Disney+’s Hocus Pocus 2 last year, the studio has confirmed that a third instalment to the magical series is in the works.
The sequel, which came almost two decades after the 1993 cult classic, broke records on its opening weekend as an exclusively streaming film, clocking in a total of 2.7billion minutes watched. By the end of 2022, Hocus Pocus 2 was the fifth-most streamed movie with 5.7billion minutes watched.
Both the first and second Hocus Pocus films, directed by Kenny Ortega and then Anne Fletcher, respectively, follow the mischievous adventures of a witchy trio of sisters played by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker. Confirmation about a continuation of the story came from the president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, Sean Bailey, who made it clear in an interview with The New York Times that a third film would be happening.
This follows a hint from last year at the Hocus Pocus 2 premiere, where executive producer Adam Shankman said there was “a lot of excitement about potential spin-offs”. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Shankman touched on introducing a new character, Becca, who was revealed to be a witch and, possibly, a successor to the older generation of witches.
On director Fletcher’s handling of the story, Shankman explained how she executed it “really, really beautifully. We went back and forth on how that was going to work, if it was going to work, forever, and Anne was just like, ‘This is what we’re going to do.’ And I think it’s great.”
Whether Midler, Najimy and Parker will be returning for Hocus Pocus 3 remains unclear, but Midler has at least asserted her enthusiasm for coming aboard the next project: “I’d love to have a franchise — especially a character I love playing. If there was a third one, of course I’d sign on.”
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, the singer/actor explained just what it is about the films that made her love participating so much. “I love Winifred, Sarah, Mary and our relationship. It’s good for women. We stick together through hell and high water, but we do cause mayhem, and not many women cause that much mayhem.”
You can watch the trailer for last year’s Hocus Pocus sequel below.
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