With Halloween on the fast approach, and as we get out our supply of marvelously queer Halloween movies, Disney has just added fuel to our excitement by announcing that Hocus Pocus 2 is in the works. The original 1993 movie earned scathing reviews and died at the box office, only to find a second life as a cult film. Star Bette Midler now performs her character, Winnie Sanderson, in concert, and Disney puts the Sanderson Sisters out as costumed characters in their theme parks for Halloween.
How appropriate that a Halloween movie should become an undead hit!
Related: Bette Midler is not happy about Disney’s ‘Hocus Pocus’ TV remake
Yet with a sequel on our minds, we can’t help but think that a new story of the Sanderson Sisters should require a few special ingredients to the brew…
How about we take this to the next level?
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The Sanderson Sisters
Scribe Jen D’Angelo, who is working on the script for Hocus Pocus 2 has said she wants the original trifecta of actresses–Bette Midler, Kathy Najimi and Sarah Jessica Parker–involved in the film. We have to agree: Midler, Najimi and Parker are the biggest reason to watch the original Hocus Pocus, and any attempt to do a story without them would be pointless.
Musical Numbers
Midler has a show-stopping musical number of “I Put a Spell On You” in the original movie, which proves to be one of its biggest highlights. In short, we want more. Imagine Midler, Parker & Najimi crooning out “Sweet Dreams” or some such tune. Can we buy tickets yet?
Thora Birch
A very young Thora Birch served as the protagonist of the original Hocus Pocus. Now that Birch is an accomplished actress in her own right, we demand she gets in on the action. Picture it: an adult Dani must do battle with the Sanderson Sisters once again.
Doug Jones
Nobody recognized Jones’ name back in 1993 when he appeared in the film as the corpse of Billy Butcherson. Now, thanks to Jones’ work in movies like Pan’s Labrynth and on Star Trek: Discovery, he’s become a respected actor. We want to see him back too. His character may be dead…but then again, wasn’t that always the case?
Binks
Some of the best lines in Hocus Pocus go to Thackery Binks, an immortal victim of the Sanderson Sisters transformed into a talking cat. We want his cattiness (excuse the phrase) back for round two.
wikidBSTN
I love this film. It’s the Halloween equivalent of Christmas’s “Its a Wonderful Life”. A must see ever year. The idea of a sequel with the original cast is SO much better (and will be so much more profitable $$$) than the earlier idea of a remake. A remake will undoubtedly disappoint.
LilMesican
Not having the original cast would be a disrespect to the fans. But it has to be a theatre release, not a TV movie.
Such an opportunity to do something brilliant!!!
MHaumesser
It’s going to be on Disney+
MacAdvisor
So, there are some problems. The whole point of the first movie is the Sanderson sisters will die if they don’t get the children’s youth. They don’t and they die. That is the resolution of the movie. That will somehow have to be undone if the sisters are going to be in the sequel. Perhaps involving Bette Midler, Kathy Najimi and Sarah Jessica Parker as sisters of the sisters might be a better idea.
Thackery Binks got his reward of going to heaven and being with his family. Going to be rather cruel to take that back. Perhaps there could be another immortal pet the Sanderson sisters created that could win its release?
As for the song, how about That Old Black Magic? Midler could give Sinatra a run for his money with that one.
man5996853
They could also involve the original 3 via flashback.
stopyolying
@macadvisor
At the beginning before their hanging Winnifred did a note which the sisters took as cue to recite the curse.
It’s possible that note was in itself, a spell or the activator for one.
At the end right before she dies she does the same note prior to turning to stone. It’s possible that she could have implemented a non-verbal spell to save her from demise again.
At the ending with the book still being alive, it’s likely that that note plus the book’s survival culminate into her getting back somehow.
Charlie in Charge
I hate to be a curmudgeon but there’s a reason we didn’t get a sequel to A Christmas Story and no one ever watches the 1992 sequel to A Charlie Brown Christmas. The original is so perfect, why return?
You’re right, you’re right, I am a Philistine and any chance to have Bette Middler play Winifred Sanderson again should be embraced. I accept the wrongness of my stance.
MacAdvisor
So, we should be happy with Star Trek: The Motion Picture and be angry they made a sequel, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, because all sequels are bad? I think Paddington II is better than the original, same with Thor: Ragnarok over the 2011 original. I would argue Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) is the best of all the various Ape movies. I would be hard pressed to decide between the original Toy Story and Toy Story 3. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966) is actually the third in a trio of movies.
I could name more. Here’s the part that matters. Someone, not me and not you and not anyone here, is going to invest millions, if not tens of millions of dollars, to make this sequel. If it is a complete and utter flop, oh well, not *our* problem. Hollywood makes bad movies all the time and it rarely ruins my day (OK, A Chorus Line all but had me ready to commit murder). One the other hand, if they succeed, we get Bette Midler et al in a new wonderful film. How can we possibly lose?
Michael618
I always figured that if they did do a continuation of the film, that it would be from when the three little girls took off on their brooms. Take it from there and then, expand on it or make it to where they reincarnate into those three little girls, there, bringing back the three original Witches; Bette Midler, Kathy Najimi and Sarah Jessica Parker. That’s how I envisioned the three of them coming back.
Michael618
it could be as the three girls as they are older and playing with a spirit board and summoning them back. Somehow have it be close to halloween time same school , talk about the legend of the Anderson sisters as well as the main characters being brought back too only as adults now and them having to fight the Sanderson sister who reincarnated into the three girls. All original staff would be brought back . I can see it happening now. Hook me up with the writers. I’ll tell them how the story plot will be and run it by the origianal cast too.