Since Hocus Pocus was released in 1993, it has gained a cult following. For the past decade, there have been rumors that grew into a confirmation that a sequel was in fact in production after fans made the studio bow to their demands. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy are also confirmed to reprise their roles in the Disney Plus sequel.

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Adam Shankman announced via Instagram that the production has wrapped, and Hocus Pocus 2 will drop on Disney Plus this October 31st. Shankman had previously signed on to replace Kenny Ortega for the directing duties of the sequel, with Jen D’Angelo penning the script. However, he had to drop out to focus on his work on the Enchantment sequel Disenchantment. Shankman did stay on as executive producer and was replaced as a director by Anne Fletcher, who worked on films like 27 Dresses and Step Up, amongst others.

The original 1993 fantasy comedy film follows a villainous comedic trio of witches who are inadvertently resurrected by a teenage boy in Salem, Massachusetts, on Halloween night. The teenage boy then forms a trio of his own, together with a lovable talking black cat, Thackery, to prevent the witches from forever becoming immortal. The plot for Hocus Pocus 2 was announced as taking place twenty-nine years after the events of the original film when three high-school students must work together to stop the Sanderson sisters, who have returned to present-day Salem. Beyond that and a few cast updates on who is coming back and who isn’t, little is known about the sequel, so the release date is expected to give the fans a little much-needed excitement.

While nostalgia has always been a reliable place to mine content from, studios sometimes miss the mark and have the fans complaining about ruining their childhoods. Well, fans can, for the most part, rest assured with this sequel because Bette Midler shared an image of the trio on set, and they looked like not a single day has passed since they wrapped up the original Hocus Pocus. John Debney, the original movie’s composer, is also coming back.

As more information on Hocus Pocus 2 trickles in, it feels like all the endless campaigning by not only the stars but the fans is finally paying off. Hopefully, the film will live up to everyone’s expectations.

Hocus Pocus 2 will premiere Halloween 2022 on Disney Plus.

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Source: Instagram/adamshankman