Warning: This story contains spoilers from Hocus Pocus 2.
Another black flame candle! It took 29 years for Hocus Pocus 2 to come to fruition — but Hocus Pocus 3 won’t take nearly as long.
In September 2022, Hocus Pocus stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reprised their roles as iconic Sanderson sisters Winifred, Sarah and Mary, respectively. After the witches were turned to dust in the 1993 film, the Sanderson sisters didn’t think they’d ever be brought back to life.
However, in the sequel, Olde Salem Magic Shoppe owner Gilbert (Sam Richardson) gifts birthday girl Becca (Whitney Peak) with a cursed candle for her and BFFs Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) and Cassie’s (Lilia Buckingham) annual Halloween ritual.
When Becca and Izzy light the candle in the woods, they unknowingly bring the witches back to Salem — and must figure out how to stop them from wreaking havoc on the town. Despite being at odds at the start of the film, Cassie eventually joins forces with her pals to send the Sanderson sisters back to hell.
While the witches appear to be gone for good after Becca and her friends (who become her coven) magically vanquish them, the final few minutes of the film reveal that the Olde Salem Magic Shoppe holds a candle labeled as “B.F. Candle #2,” which could once again revive the siblings. Additionally, Hannah Waddingham’s character, Mother Witch — who first guides Winnie and her sisters in their magical quest — is seemingly still roaming the woods.
“It’s an open-ended movie. So much could happen next. Both extremes, too,” Peak told Entertainment Weekly in October 2022, hinting at a possible comeback. “If there is a next movie, we could be our coven, much older, but the Sanderson sisters could come back, and we’d have to kick their asses again.”
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina alum noted that while she and the rest of the new Coven are up for a third installment, they would need Midler, Parker and Najimy to make it work.
“It would be hard to create a third movie without the Sanderson sisters, because it’s their movie. They are Hocus Pocus,” Peak added. “It’s hard to imagine what a movie would be like without them.”
The original witches, however, weren’t sure whether the third time would still be a charm. Najimy told EW in September 2022, “I feel like we’re done.” Parker chimed in, saying, “I’d be happy to have a conversation, it just depends on what Kathy and Bette want!”
Midler, meanwhile, didn’t rule out slipping into her character’s legendary green robe one more time. “I’m envious of other actors who have franchises, and I was hoping for a sequel to First Wives Club, but we never got that. After 30 years with no sequel to Hocus Pocus, I’ve always been envious of people who get to do their favorite character more than once,” she confessed. “The fact that we got to do this finally, after 30 years of promoting the idea, I’m glad we got to do it. I’d love to have a franchise — especially a character I love playing.”
The Beaches star added: “If there was a third one, of course I’d sign on, but I don’t know how. I can’t imagine what the story would be, but I love Winifred, Sarah, Mary, and our relationship. It’s good for women. We stick together through hell and high water, but we do cause mayhem, and not many women cause that much mayhem!”
Disney confirmed in June 2023 that Hocus Pocus 3 is happening.
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