Ted Lasso‘s Hannah Waddingham and Veep‘s Tony Hale have joined the cast of the much-anticipated – and long-awaited – sequel to 1993’s Hocus Pocus, Hocus Pocus 2. The Disney+ original film has just begun filming in Rhode Island, with Bette Midler (The First Wives Club), Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City), and Kathy Najimy (Sister Act) reprising their roles as Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson.
Doug Jones (The Shape of Water) also returns to the world Hocus Pocus, reprising his role as Billy Butcherson. Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl), Lilia Buckingham (Dirt), and Belissa Escobedo (American Horror Stories) join the cast as Becca, Cassie, and Izzy, “three young women in present-day Salem who incite the wrath of the three witches.”
The cast also includes Sam Richardson (The Tomorrow War, Veep), Juju Brener (Vanquish), Froy Gutierrez (Teen Wolf), Taylor Paige Henderson, and Nina Kitchen.
Kenny Ortega (the High School Musical franchise) directed the 1993 film. Anne Fletcher (Step Up, 27 Dresses) is directing the sequel from a screenplay by Jen D’Angelo (Happy Together). Adam Shankman (Hairspray) was originally attached to helm the sequel but had to pull out due to a scheduling conflict. Shankman remains involved as an executive producer. Ralph Winter and David Kirschner also serve as executive producers.
“I am beyond thrilled to be involved in the sequel to a film that is as beloved as Hocus Pocus,” stated director Fletcher. “Fans around the world have embraced these characters and have made this film a Halloween tradition whose popularity continues to grow, and how lucky am I to be back at Disney with these three extraordinarily talented ladies in the iconic roles they created, as well as our fabulous new additions to the cast?”
Disney+ is targeting a fall 2022 premiere.
The Plot:
It’s been 29 years since someone lit the Black Flame Candle and resurrected the 17th-century sisters who were executed for practicing witchcraft, and they are looking for revenge. Now it is up to three high-school students to figure out how to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on Salem before midnight on All Hallow’s Eve.
