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Hocus Pocus 2
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
| name = Hocus Pocus 2
| image = Hocus_Pocus_2_Logo.jpg
| caption = Official release poster
| director = Anne Fletcher
| screenplay = Jen D'Angelo
| story =
| based_on =
| producer =
| starring =
| cinematography = Elliot Davis
| editing =
| music = John Debney
| studio =
| distributor = Disney+
| released =
| runtime =
| country = United States
| language = English
}}
'Hocus Pocus 2' is an upcoming American supernatural comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher, written by Jen D'Angelo and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. A sequel to the 1993 film 'Hocus Pocus', it stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Doug Jones reprising their roles; Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham, Belissa Escobedo, Hannah Waddingham, Tony Hale, and Sam Richardson join the cast in new roles.
Filming began October 2021 in Newport, Rhode Island, with the film scheduled for a Disney+ release on September 30, 2022.
Premise
Twenty-nine years after the events of 'Hocus Pocus' (1993), three high-school students must work together to stop the Sanderson sisters who have returned to present-day Salem.
Cast
* Bette Midler as Winifred "Winnie" Sanderson, the oldest of the three Sanderson Sisters. Her signature magical ability is electrokinesis, but she has extensive knowledge of dark magic thanks to her prized sentient spell book. As the leader of the trio, Winifred is often frustrated by her younger sisters' incompetence.
**Taylor Paige Henderson as young Winifred Sanderson
* Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson, the middle sister. Mary has the magical ability to track children with an enhanced sense of smell. She looks up to her elder sister Winifred and constantly seeks her approval.
**Nina Kitchen as young Mary Sanderson
* Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson, the youngest of the three Sanderson Sisters. Sarah's magical gift is a hypnotic siren call, which she uses through her song "Come Little Children". Her immature and often air-headed nature exasperates Winifred.
**Juju Journey Brener as young Sarah Sanderson
* Doug Jones as Billy Butcherson, a former lover of Winifred. She poisoned him on May 1, 1693 when she caught him cheating with her sister Sarah. He is raised from the dead as a zombie.
* Whitney Peak as Becca, a high-school student and aspiring witch who accidentally conjures the Sanderson Sisters.
* Lilia Buckingham as Cassie Traske, a popular classmate and former friend of Becca and Izzy. She is the mayor's daughter and helps to stop the Sanderson Sisters.
* Belissa Escobedo as Izzy, Becca's quirky best friend. She accidentally conjures the Sanderson Sisters with Becca.
* Hannah Waddingham as The Witch, a mysterious and sinister woman.
* Tony Hale as Jefry Traske, the Mayor of Salem and father of Cassie.
* Sam Richardson as Gilbert. He is the owner of the Olde Salem Magic Shoppe, the former home of the Sanderson Sisters.
Additionally, Froy Gutierrez portrays Mike, Cassie's boyfriend. 'RuPaul's Drag Race' stars Ginger Minj, Kornbread Jet, and Kahmora Hall will portray drag queens impersonating Winifred, Mary, and Sarah.
Production
Development
In July 2014, it was announced that The Walt Disney Company was developing a supernatural-themed film about witches, and that Tina Fey was on board as a producer and star. However, 'Deadline Hollywood' debunked rumors that the film was a sequel to 'Hocus Pocus'. In November 2014, Bette Midler said in an 'Screen Rant' interview that she was ready and willing to return for a sequel as Winnifred Sanderson. She also said her co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy were interested in reprising the roles of Sarah and Mary Sanderson as well, but stressed that Disney had yet to greenlight any sequel, encouraging fans of the original film to persuade Disney to make one. In November 2015, Midler stated in a Facebook Q&A that "after all these years and all the fan demand, I do believe I can stand and firmly say an unequivocal no" in response to a question about a sequel.In June 2016, actor Doug Jones mentioned that Disney had been considering a sequel, and behind the scenes discussions were in place to possibly continue the series. In October 2016, while promoting her HBO show 'Divorce', Sarah Jessica Parker was asked by Andy Cohen about a sequel. Her response was "I would love that. I think we've been very vocal that we're very keen", yet she insisted that fans should encourage Disney to develop a sequel. In 'Hocus Pocus in Focus: The Thinking Fan's Guide to Disney's Halloween Classic,' author Aaron Wallace identifies several potential approaches for a sequel, but notes that the project's biggest challenge is the Walt Disney Studios' interest in tentpole projects that promise very high box office returns.
In September 2017, 'Hocus Pocus' writer Mick Garris admitted that he was working on a script for 'Hocus Pocus 2' after years of rumors and speculation and that it would potentially be developed as a television film for Disney Channel, Freeform or ABC. It was later confirmed that it would be instead a remake to air on Freeform, with 'The Royals' writer Scarlett Lacey attached to write and the original film producer David Kirschner executive producing, with original director Kenny Ortega not expected to be involved. The following month, Midler said she was not fond of the idea of a remake and she would not be taking part in it regardless she was offered some kind of role or not, expressing doubts on how they would be able to successfully recast her role as Winifred Sanderson.
In February 2018, Jones revealed that there had been talks to do a sequel set twenty years after the original film and that he was approached to be involved on it, though he admitted that he is still interested on reprising his role as Billy Butcherson. In July 2018, a book titled 'Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel' was released, containing a novelization of the film and a sequel story. The sequel focuses on Max and Allison's daughter, Poppy, who grew up hearing the family story of the original film and parents who avoid Halloween as much as possible. Poppy is skeptical of the tale and ends up in the Sanderson house on Halloween, twenty-five years to the day after the movie, in an attempt to prove there's nothing to the story.
In October 2019, a sequel was announced to be in development as a Disney+ exclusive film, with a screenplay written by Jen D'Angelo. In March 2020, Adam Shankman signed on to direct 'Hocus Pocus 2' concurrently to his work on the 'Enchanted' sequel 'Disenchanted'.
Casting
On November 1, 2019, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy expressed interest in reprising their roles as the Sanderson Sisters in the sequel. In September 2020, Midler revealed that she has entered talks to return in the film as Winifred, and in October 2020, she confirmed that she will return alongside Parker and Najimy. In May 2021, it was confirmed that Midler, Parker, and Najimy will reprise their roles as the Sanderson Sisters. In October 2021, it was announced that Taylor Paige Henderson had been cast as one of the three leads. Shortly afterwards, Sam Richardson was reported to be in final negotiations to join the cast in an undisclosed role. That same month, Tony Hale has joined the cast as the mayor of Salem, Jefry Traske. The full supporting cast was confirmed on October 31, 2021, including Hannah Waddingham and the return of Doug Jones, who portrayed William "Billy" Butcherson in the original film. In March 2022, it was announced that Thora Birch would not be reprising the role of Dani Dennison from the previous film. In the summer of that year, it was then announced that Larry Bagby, Tobias Jelinek, Omri Katz, and Vinessa Shaw would also not be reprising their roles as Ice, Jay, Max, and Allison, respectively.Pre-production
On October 29, 2020, Midler stated that a story outline for the sequel has been completed, which she praised as "pretty great" along with Najimy and Jessica Parker. On November 3, Midler revealed that the producers are trying to re-hire several members of the first film's production team that are alive and hadn't retired, as they felt much of the success of the first film came from the work of the behind-the-scenes team. In April 2021, Anne Fletcher replaced Shankman as the director due to his directing duties with 'Disenchanted', although he will remain as an executive producer on the film.Filming
Production was scheduled to begin in the middle of 2021, in Salem, Massachusetts. In September 2021, sets for 'Hocus Pocus 2' were confirmed being built at Chase Farms in Lincoln, Rhode Island, and Washington Square in Newport, Rhode Island. Filming began on October 18, 2021, in Providence, Rhode Island, under the working title 'Black Flame'.Footage was leaked on November 2, 2021. Filming also took place on November 8, 2021, in Newport's Washington Square taking place in a modern Salem, Massachusetts. On December 10, 2021, filming began in Federal Hill, which was transformed with a Halloween-themed backdrop. On January 26, 2022, Midler took to social media confirming that filming had been completed. Following two test screenings of the film, re-shoots took place in early June 2022, in Astoria, New York.
Music
In October 2021, it was announced that John Debney, the composer of the original film, was set to return to score the sequel. The soundtrack, which features two new songs in addition to Debneys score, will be released on 28th October 2022.
Marketing
The first teaser trailer was released on June 28, 2022. The teaser trailer reached 43.6 million views in its first 24 hours while on Twitter, the '#HocusPocus' became a top trend of the day on Twitter following the teaser's debut. The social media conversation was also the most gender balanced of the comps at 51 percent male and 49 percent female. On August 29, 2022, a first look at Doug Jones as Billy was released showing the character resurrected again by the Sanderson sisters. On September 9, 2022, the official trailer for the film premiered at the 2022 D23 Expo and was released online afterward. This will be the first film released by Walt Disney Pictures to use the "Disney100" castle logo, in honor of the centennial anniversary of The Walt Disney Company, starting in March 2023, which debuted at the 2022 D23 Expo. The new logo was created by Disney Studios Content and Industrial Light & Magic. Christophe Beck composed a new arrangement of "When You Wish Upon a Star" to accompany the new logo.
Release
'Hocus Pocus 2' is scheduled to be released on September 30, 2022 on Disney+.
References
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