Disney is working on a made-for-TV sequel / reboot of Hocus Pocus that will reportedly proceed without the involvement of the original Sanderson Sisters: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy.
However the director of the original film, Kenny Ortega, is chiming in to say that he thinks it would be much more fun to bring the original cast back. Entertainment Weekly had a chance to talk to Ortega about the planned reboot / sequel at The L.A. Dance Project’s annual gala in downtown Los Angeles, California, on Saturday.
“I think it would be much more fun to bring the ladies back,” the producer, director and choreographer added. “They’re all still vital and in their prime and capable of doing so much that it would be great to see Bette and Kathy and Sarah come back together to do another movie and I think they would like to.”
All three actresses have expressed a desire to return for a sequel, with Midler even dressing as Winnifred Sanderson for Halloween last year.
This has led to many fans and media outlets asking why Disney would even consider moving forward with another movie without their involvement.
It probably comes down to two factors: Money and age.
Since the new Hocus Pocus film will be made-for-TV, bringing in heavy hitters like Midler, Parker and Najimy might be out of the question from a financial perspective.
Age may be another factor, as those actresses (who all still look incredible, I might add) are almost 25 years older than they were in the original. Now, this might not be an issue for a single sequel, but with Disney being Disney they’re likely looking at turning Hocus Pocus into a franchise with multiple entries being cranked out for years to come. They simply might want younger (cheaper?) actresses who will stick around for another decade or two.
Of course, that’s putting the cart before the horse. While I’m up for another proper Hocus Pocus movie, I’d rather they just leave it alone instead of cranking out a series of subpar made-for-TV flicks to cash in on nostalgia. That’s not to say that a Disney Channel version will be bad, but I don’t have a lot of hope without the three original Sanderson Sisters returning.
[Source: EW]
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