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Hocus Pocus 2 is Anne Fletcher's sequel to the 1993 film of the same name. It marks the return of the Sanderson sisters, who were persecuted during the Salem witch trials in 1693, and were resurrected by unaware teenagers.
Hocus Pocus 2 will premiere on Disney Plus on Friday, September 30, 2022.
IMDb's synopsis of Hocus Pocus 2 reads:
"Three young women accidentally bring back the Sanderson Sisters to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking havoc on the world."
Actors Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy reprise their roles as the Salem Witches, namely Winifred Sanderson, Sarah Sanderson, and Mary Sanderson respectively.
Read on to learn more about the three actors who will bring the Sanderson sisters back to life.
Hocus Pocus 2: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy to reprise their roles in the upcoming sequel
The Sanderson sisters are played by actors Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy. While coming on board Hocus Pocus 2 was a no-brainer, it was tough to schedule meetings since the pre-production for the film clashed with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here's a look at the cast of the upcoming film.
Bette Midler as Winifred Sanderson
Bette Midler is an American actor, comedian, singer, and author. Her notable works include Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), Ruthless People (1986), Outrageous Fortune (1987), Big Business (1988), Beaches (1988), Hocus Pocus (1993), The First Wives Club (1996), The Stepford Wives (2004), Parental Guidance (2012), and The Addams Family (2019).
She is the recipient of four Golden Globe Awards, three Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards, and two Tony Awards for her performances. She has also been nominated for two Academy Awards and a BAFTA award.
Midler, who essayed the role of the eldest sister Winifred "Winnie" Sanderson in the original, was the one to initiate Hocus Pocus 2. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Midler said:
"Even when it became a phenomenon, [a sequel] wasn't considered. Ten years on, when I started seeing the returns, I was surprised, and I started making calls."
Midler added that she would reach out to Disney Studios once every year to ask about a sequel, which was brought on the cards only three years ago.
Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson
Kathy Najimy essayed the role of the middle sister, Mary Sanderson. Her character has the power to track children with her strong olfactory senses.
Najimy is known for her roles in films like Soapdish (1991), Sister Act (1992), Hope Floats (1998), The Wedding Planner (2001), and Rat Race (2001), apart from Hocus Pocus (1993).
She told Entertainment Weekly that the three actors would get on a conference call "with lots of snacks, and we'd talk over narratives and character arcs."
Najimy added:
"We were able to give them our two cents, and what the writer and studio came up with was difficult, because you can't take something that was so successful and stray too far from it."
Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson
Sarah Jessica Parker plays the role of the youngest sister Sarah Sanderson. Sarah's magical gift is a hypnotic siren call, which she uses through her song Come Little Children.
Jessica Parker is a renowned face on American television, having portrayed Carrie Bradshaw in the Sex and the City series, the films, and the latest, And Just Like That. She has been recognized for her work with multiple Emmy and Golden Globe awards.
Jessica Parker told Entertainment Weekly that although she said yes as soon as she heard of the Hocus Pocus sequel, she "didn't push for it."
She added:
"I didn't push for it. I think Bette was the only [one] who had conversations. [For me] there were moments where it came up and I was asked about it, or something happened on social media that I'd respond to. I'd always say, 'Yeah, sure,' but I can't confess to being involved in putting it together."
More information about Hocus Pocus 2
Hocus Pocus 2 is the sequel to the 1993 film of the same name. Filming for the same wrapped up back in January 2022, according to Collider. It is directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Jen D'Angelo.
The film is based on the infamous but historic Salem witch trials which took place from 1692 to 1693 in colonial Salem, Massachusetts. It consisted of a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft and witnessed the execution of 19 individuals.
Salem witch trials are an example of mass hysteria regarding witchcraft and have become a tool in literature, politics, and pop culture, to refer to specified attacks emerging from religious extremism and xenophobia.
In addition to the trio, the film features actors Doug Jones, Lilia Buckingham, Tony Hale, Whitney Peak, and Sam Richardson, alongside Parker, Midler, and Najimy.
Hocus Pocus 2 will premiere on Disney+ on September 30, 2022.
