Everything We Know About Hocus Pocus 2 So Far

In hindsight, it's kind of miraculous "Hocus Pocus" got made, considering it's a Disney film that features, among other things, a running joke involving a teenager's virginity, gleefully child-murdering (and, in one case, very horny) witches, zombie slapstick, and multiple impromptu musical numbers. It's no wonder director Kenny Ortega's fantastical comedy took a while to catch on with the masses and become the Halloween classic it is today. The House of Mouse didn't do the movie any favors either, initially dropping it into theaters in the middle of the summer in 1993.

Nevertheless, time has done its thing, and the Sanderson Sisters are now as iconic as any other spell-casting evil-doers to grace the big screen. What's more, after nearly rebooting the original film as a made-for-TV movie a few years back, Disney has finally lit the Black Flame Candle a second time by giving the go-ahead to "Hocus Pocus 2." Here's everything we know about the sequel at this juncture.

"Hocus Pocus 2" officially began production on November 1, 2021, and will stream exclusively on Disney+ starting in the fall of 2022. The original "Hocus Pocus" took place in Salem, Massachusetts, and was partly lensed on-location but primarily filmed on sound stages in California. By comparison, the sequel is shooting in Rhode Island, with onlookers having spotted a historical village being constructed for what's presumably a flashback in the movie to the Sandersons' reign of terror against the people of Salem in the late 1600s.

On a side note: revealing there were actual witches in Salem at the time of the Salem Witch Trials was always a problematic element in the first "Hocus Pocus," so maybe it would be better not to emphasize that plot point too much in the sequel? Obviously, nobody's looking to a franchise that includes talking black cats and witches flying around on vacuum cleaners to reflect seriously on a real-life atrocity, but the point still stands. Heck, for all we know, "Hocus Pocus 2" will address this matter directly to avoid being insensitive. Anyway, moving on...

Disney's synopsis for "Hocus Pocus 2" confirms the sequel will pick up 29 years after the events of the first movie with the Sanderson Sisters somehow back in action and out for revenge. The last shot in the original film revealed that Winifred Sanderson's sentient spell book (complete with a creepy, blinking eye) was still alive, so the door was always open for the trio of witches to make their way back to the land of the living. Did another disbelieving, um, virgin light the Black Flame Candle? Or is some other magical force responsible for their resurrection this time?

Whatever the case, the sequel's synopsis confirms it will fall to present-day high-schoolers Becca, Cassie, and Izzy to "figure out how to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on Salem before midnight on All Hallow's Eve." So far, though, it's unclear if these new heroes have any connection to "Hocus Pocus" leads Max, Dani, and Allison, or whether those characters will factor into the film at all. Also, did Ernie Ice and Jay ever break out of their cages in the Sandersons' cottage? We need answers, Disney, dang it!

Bette Midler is back as the deliciously malevolent Winifred Sanderson for "Hocus Pocus 2," with Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker similarly reprising their roles as Winifred's more comical yet equally wicked siblings Mary and Sarah. Also back is Doug Jones, who will once again play Winifred's undead ex-boyfriend William "Billy" Butcherson. (Y'know, the one she poisoned after catching him getting frisky with Sarah and then sewed his mouth shut? He's a nice fellow, his bad breath aside.)

For the most part, though, "Hocus Pocus 2" is composed of newcomers to the franchise, including Whitney Peak ("Chilling Adventures of Sabrina") as Becca, Lilia Buckingham ("Crown Lake") as Cassie, and Belissa Escobedo ("American Horror Stories") as Izzy, along with Tony Hale ("The Mysterious Benedict Society") as Salem's mayor Jefry Traske, and Hannah Waddingham ("Ted Lasso") and Sam Richardson ("Werewolves Within") in as-yet undisclosed supporting roles.

Behind the camera, filmmaker and choreographer Anne Fletcher ("27 Dresses," "Hot Pursuit") is replacing Ortega as director, with Jen D'Angelo ("Workaholics") providing the script, Elliot Davis ("Twilight") serving as cinematographer, and "Hocus Pocus" composer John Debney once again handling the score. Bottling lighting a second time is always near-impossible to do, so best of luck to all those creatively involved with this spoopy sequel.