Hocus Pocus 3 in development at Disney

A third instalment of Disney's iconic Halloween comedy Hocus Pocus is in the works. 

In an interview with the New York Times Sean Bailey, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production announced that Hocus Pocus 3 is happening, when discussing additional upcoming live-action projects in development at the company. 

The news follows the success of the film's sequel which premiered on Disney Plus last September, 30 years after the release of the 1993 classic, which saw Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, reprise their roles as the bewitching Sanderson sisters trio - Winifred, Sarah and Mary respectively. 

While the first film was not a box office hit in the early 90s, it became a cult sensation over the decades courtesy of cable broadcasts and social media fandom. As such, Hocus Pocus 2 ranked 5th most-streamed films of 2022 with a total of 5.7bn minutes viewed.

Although plot details are closely held at present, the third film would follow Kenny Ortega’s 1993 original and last year’s Anne Fletcher-directed sequel which centre on the Sanderson sisters siphoning the life force out of young children in order to stay youthful.

While nothing has been said of the of the original Sanderson sisters returning for a third follow up, Midler told Entertainment Weekly last year that she’d be inclined to revisit her role.

“I’d love to have a franchise — especially a character I love playing,” she said. “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.”

Additionally, according to Variety, Hocus Pocus 2's screenwriter Jen D’Angelo hinted at a potential sequel that would showcase Omri Katz’s Max Dennison and Vinessa Shaw’s Allison Watts after failed efforts in the second film.

“We tried so hard to get the original cast back for cameos and then it just kept not working out for one reason or the other,” D’Angelo told Variety. “But I’m hoping in 'Hocus Pocus 3,' we’ll see Max and Alison living in California.”

Hocus Pocus 1 filmed in Salem, Massachusetts but most of it was shot on sound stages in Burbank, California. Hocus Pocus 2 filmed predominantly in Rhode Island - specifically Providence, Lincoln, and Newport as well as studios. It is unclear at this stage where production will take place for the third instalment.