It’s officially fall, which officially means it’s almost time for the ritual viewing of the Halloween staple Hocus Pocus. The 1993 film has been a beloved cult classic for ages now, and fans have been champing at the bit for years in want of a sequel. Even the film’s stars–Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy–have said they’d be on board to come back for a second film. Well, friends, it looks like we’re getting our wish… well, half of it.
Deadline has reported that the Disney Channel will indeed be creating a new Hocus Pocus TV movie, which will be written by Scarlett Lacey, who wrote for the TV show The Royals, with David Kirschner (who produced the original film) on board as executive producer. So what’s the catch? Well, it would seem that the new Hocus Pocus movie will not so much be a sequel as it will be a re-imagining of the original film. And the original cast and the film’s original director, Kenny Ortega, aren’t attached to the project.
Understandably, this news comes as a bit of a shock to the Hocus Pocus fandom. Mick Garris (a writer on the original film) recently told Forbes that he had heard rumors of a television sequel in the works for the Halloween classic, which had reignited the decades-long fan campaign for Hocus Pocus 2. However, it looks like that project has been given the axe (at least for now), and the story is getting a modern day television makeover for a new generation of fans of the Sanderson sisters.
There’s no official word on when the remake will be hitting the Disney Channel, or who will be taking over for Midler, Parker, and Najimy. While a remake may not be the news Hocus Pocus fans were hoping for, the fact we have been begging for a sequel for over a decade should make the stakes of this remake clear to Disney. So we can all hope for a fun and exciting reimagining of our favorite Halloween tale–and maybe even a cameo from the original trio? We’ll just have to wait for Disney to release more info on the remake, and continue to wear out our copy of the original film in the mean time!
What do you think of the remake? Is Disney making a mistake, or do you think there could be potential in updating the story? Who do you hope play the Sanderson sisters in the new film? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Feature Image: Disney
Want more Hocus Pocus?
- How Hocus Pocus became a Halloween cult classic
- Check out this awesome Hocus Pocus cosplay
- And this Hocus Pocus lifestyle collection!
