It's time to get out your spell books and dust off your broomsticks, because Disney+ has dropped the long-awaited first official trailer for Hocus Pocus 2.
A mere 29 years after the release of the original cult classic, Hocus Pocus, the infamous Sanderson sisters, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy, are back with a vengeance and ready to unleash more terror in the town of Salem.
Say what?
The trailer sees three girls, Becca, Izzy and Cassie, accidentally summon the sisters back from the dead with a special ritual designed for witches to help them yield their powers on their 16th birthday.
"Lock up your children! Yes, Salem, we're back!" the evil sisters Winifred, Sarah, and Mary declare as they prepare to run amok. Cue absolute mayhem as the movie's heroes race against time to return the witch sisters right back where they came from.
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Though the trailer is the first real sneak peek we've had into what we can expect, back in November 2021, Disney+ treated us to a first look at the legendary actors - Sarah, Bette and Kathy - as they reprised their roles in the film, dressed in all their witchy finery and it certainly whet our appetite.
Disney+ shared the spellbinding preview, with the caption, “They're already running amok, amok, amok! @BetteMidler,@SJP, and @KathyNajimy are in production on #HocusPocus2 coming Fall 2022 on #DisneyPlus #DisneyPlusDay”
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At the time it was also announced that the trio would be joined by a slew of newly confirmed cast members including Hannah Waddingham from Ted Lasso and Sex Education, Whitney Peak from the Gossip Girl reboot and nine others.
Disney+ confirmed the news of the OG cast returning on Twitter back in May 2021, posting: "Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy will reprise their roles as the delightfully wicked Sanderson Sisters in #HocusPocus2, coming fall 2022 to #DisneyPlus."
Midler took to Twitter to confirm the news writing: "Sistaaaahs! It’s been 300 years… But we’re BACK!"
Sarah Jessica-Parker took to Instagram to confirm the news, writing, "Yep. I'm ready. To run. Amok, amok, amok, amok.🕯️#HocusPocus2 arrives Fall 2022 on @disneyplus. Sisters???"
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What will the plot be for Hocus Pocus 2?
Of course, if you're reading this you're clearly a fan of the original 1993 film which saw witchy Sanderson sisters Winifed (Midler), Sarah (Parker) and Mary (Najimy) come back to life thanks to a boy called Max, who lit a candle and opened the spooky, dusty book in their Salem house. As they attempt to get to grips with the 20th century, they are horrified to discover that Halloween has become a fancy dress holiday.
Disney+ confirmed the plot for Hocus Pocus 2 as "three young women accidentally bring the Sanderson Sisters back to modern-day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world."
What else do we know about the confirmed cast?
As well as Sarah, Bette and Kathy officially resuming their roles for the sequel, there will be eleven new cast members in the sequel.
The line-up includes Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl), Lilia Buckingham (Crown Lake), Belissa Escobedo(Don’t Look Deeper), Tony Hale (Arrested Development, Veep), Sam Richardson (The Tomorrow War, Veep), Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso, Sex Education), Juju Brener, Froy Gutierrez (Teen Wolf), Taylor Henderson and Nina Kitchen. Doug Jones from the original movie will also be returning for the sequel.
Thora Birch, who played Dani Dennison in the 1993 film, AKA the eight-year-old little sister of Max, seemed to hint at her involvement on Twitter, writing: "2022 will be 'Mah-velous!", alongside a GIF of Midler's Winnie Sanderson.
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Adam Shankman who was first lined up to direct can no longer due to scheduling conflicts and is being replaced by The Proposal and 27 Dresses director Anne Fletcher.
Fletcher said in a statement: "Now more than ever, people need to laugh. We should be laughing every day, and there is so much fun to be had with these three unbelievable women playing delicious characters from such a beloved film. I am so grateful to be able to play a part in bringing these witches back to life, and to be working with my friends at Disney again makes it all the more special. This is a movie for everyone, from the fans who grew up with the first film to the next generation of viewers, and I can’t wait to get started."
When will Hocus Pocus 2 be released?
As confirmed by Disney+, Hocus Pocus 2 will be available to stream on 30 September 2022. Not long to go… well, in comparison to how long we've already waited, right?
