It looks like the Sanderson sisters are coming back again after all.
Disney first announced work on a Hocus Pocus 3 back in the summer of 2023, less than a year after the debut of the straight-to-streaming Hocus Pocus 2, the long-awaited legacyquel to the ’90 cult kiddie horror favorite Hocus Pocus. But Disney’s offered basically zero updates on a potential third film since then, and it’s begun to look like the franchise was going into a long hybernation like the break between 1993’s Hocus Pocus and the first sequel.
But now Deadline reports that Disney is “officially in early development” on Hocus Pocus 3 “with the trio of stars, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, returning to reprise their roles as the Sanderson sisters.”
They also add that unlike Hocus Pocus 2, which was developed and released during the period when Disney was heavily focused on expanding the Disney+ streaming library, Hocus Pocus 3 is being developed with “plans for a theatrical distribution component.” (It would obviously wind up on Disney+ eventually as well.)
READ MORE: 15 Movies You Never Realized Were Sequels
The original Hocus Pocus was not much of a hit when it was released to theaters in 1993. But endless viewings on home video and airings on the Disney Channel all through the ’80s and ’90s turned it into a cult classic among younger viewers. Eventually, Disney decided there was enough cache to make a sequel starring all three original lead cast members: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy.
After decades in limbo, Hocus Pocus 2 brought their Sanderson sister witches into the present day, for another mildly spooky horror comedy. It didn’t necessarily leave a cliffhanger for a sequel but then neither did the original movie, and that didn’t stop Disney from making one.
The Worst Sequels Made From the Best Movies
These terrible sequels were continuations of great movies — which in some ways made their crumminess that much worse.
