Rumors of a sequel following the 1993 Halloween classic are no longer just a bunch of Hocus Pocus.
27 years after hitting theaters, Disney+ has big plans to move forward with a sequel to the cult Halloween movie, Hocus Pocus, with director Adam Shankman, according to sources at Variety.
As the trade magazine first disclosed, the horror comedy’s sequel does not currently have any original cast members attached, but hopes they’ll ‘become involved in some capacity.’
They’re back: After nearly three decades since hitting theaters, Disney+ has confirmed their plans to move forward with a sequel to the classic Halloween movie, Hocus Pocus, on Wednesday
According to the outlet, ‘Sources say that ideally the trio of actresses will reprise their roles, rather than having to completely reboot the first film.’
The original film followed Winifred (Bette Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mary (Kathy Najimy) who were hung in 1693 in Salem, Massachusetts, for killing a young girl to absorb her youth.
Before being killed, they cast a curse that will allow them to be resurrected, and in 1993 a young boy Max (Omri Katz) who moved to Salem from Los Angeles and frees the women after 300 years.
Cult classic: The original film, which starred Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, follows three witches, who are resurrected by a boy whose family has moved from Los Angeles to Salem
Beloved: While the film typically explodes in popularity in October, the trade magazine also reported it wasn’t initially a ‘box office success’ and only scored a ‘$39 million worldwide on a $28 million budget’ at the time
The streaming platform hopes Midler, Parker and Najimy will reprise their roles.
Over the years, the trio have expressed interest in a reboot, particularly the Tony winner, who transforms back into her character every Halloween.
During a Reddit AMA in Nov. 2014, Midler encouraged fans to ‘inundate the Disney company’ with requests for a sequel.
Negotiating: As Variety first revealed, the horror comedy’s sequel does not currently have any original cast members attached, but hopes they’ll ‘become involved in some capacity’
Interested: Over the years, the trio have expressed interest in a reboot, particularly the Tony winner, who transforms into her character Winifred Sanderson every Halloween
Like Midler, Parker has publicly expressed she would be happy to reunite with her her witch sisters.
‘I would love that,’ the Divorce star said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in 2016. ‘I think we’ve all been fairly vocal about being very keen, but that hasn’t created any ground swell of movement.’
The reboot appears to be in good hands, as Shankman has worked on a number of hits, including Hairspray, Step Up, A Walk to Remember and, most recently, What Men Want.
‘I would love that,’ the Divorce star said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in 2016 of a reboot. ‘I think we’ve all been fairly vocal about being very keen, but that hasn’t created any ground swell of movement’
In November, Parker confirmed she and her co-stars were set to return for a follow-up project and were simply ‘awaiting instructions’ in a Instagram comment.
Excited for what could come, one fan asked if there was ‘any chance of a sequel?!’, to which Sarah said: ‘we have all said yes. Now we wait. X’
While the film typically explodes in popularity in October, it wasn’t initially a box office success and only scored a ‘$39 million worldwide on a $28 million budget at the time.
Nearly three decades later, Hocus Pocus continues to perform strongly on TV, with 2.5 million viewers tuning in in 2009 and 2.8 million in 2011.
Fan-favorite: Hocus Pocus continues to perform strongly on TV, with 2.5 million viewers tuning in in 2009 and 2.8 million in 2011