Nearly 30 years after the first movie became a Halloween classic, the Hocus Pocus sequel is gearing up to come together with new cast members coming aboard.
Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham who is well known for comedy-drama series Ted Lasso has signed on to star in the sequel, alongside Tony Hale and Sam Richardson. On Sunday, October 31, Disney Plus took Twitter to announce the addition of new cast members to the sequel. They will join original stars including, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, who are all ready to reprise their roles as the Sanderson sisters from 1993 original, Hocus Pocus. However, Disney Plus has not confirmed the release date but it will release in fall 2022.
The storyline of the sequel will follow three young women who accidentally bring back the Sanderson sisters, Winifred, Sarah, and Mary, to present-day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world, according to the official synopsis of Hocus Pocus 2. Other new cast members announced by Disney Plus include Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham, Belissa Escobedo, Juju Brener, Froy Gutierrez, Taylor Henderson, and Nina Kitchen.
However, original Hocus Pocus star Doug Jones is also returning as Billy Butcherson, though no details for any of the new cast members were revealed. Anne Fletcher is helming Hocus Pocus 2 from a script by Jen D’Angelo, who makes her feature writing debut after writing for TV shows such as Cougar Town, Workaholics, and most recently Young Rock.
Kenny Ortega directed the original Hocus Pocus, which only earned $45.1 million worldwide but would go on to become a Halloween cult classic. The film was put into development back in 2019, with Adam Shankman originally slated to direct before Anne Fletcher took the helm. The shooting of the movie got underway on October 18 in Providence, Rhode Island, though it’s unclear how long production is slated to last.
Waddingham is best known for her Emmy-winning role as Rebecca Welton in Apple TV Plus’ Ted Lasso, which has been picked up for a third season. She will next be seen as Lady Bellaston in the Tom Jones mini-series, which is currently shooting. Meanwhile, Hale has two movies out in 2021, Clifford the Big Red Dog, in theaters November 10, and Being the Ricardos, arriving on December 10. Richardson most recently starred in the hit genre comedy Werewolves Within and the big-budget action film The Tomorrow War, along with a guest-starring role on Ted Lasso in the latest season.
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