The fans demanded it and Disney obliged: Hocus Pocus 2 is officially happening — with all three of the original film’s stars, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy, returning as the witchy Sanderson Sisters.

Via press release, the studio confirmed that the long-rumored project is finally ready to begin production this fall. Although Adam Shankman was previously attached to direct, he’s since had to leave the project to direct another long-awaited Disney+ sequel, Disenchanted. In his place, Hocus Pocus 2 will be directed by The Proposal’s Anne Fletcher.

Disney also revealed the first plot synopsis for the sequel:

Singer/actress Bette Midler (“The First Wives Club,” “Beaches”) returns as Winifred Sanderson, with Sarah Jessica Parker (“Sex and the City”) and Kathy Najimy (“Sister Act”) back as her sisters, Sarah and Mary, respectively. In “Hocus Pocus 2,” three young women accidentally bring the Sanderson Sisters back to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world.

All three of the Sanderson stars posted messages for fans on Instagram, celebrating the news that they will appear in the sequel:

The original Hocus Pocus was released in 1993 to mixed reviews and only so-so box office, grossing about $45 million against a $28 million budget. Years of airings around Halloween on Disney’s cable channels turned it into a cult classic. The movie eventually made enough money that Disney became interested in making a sequel. The script for the sequel is by Jen D’Angelo, a writer on TV shows like Cougar TownWorkaholics, and Young Rock.

Hocus Pocus 2 will premiere exclusively on Disney+ some time in 2022.

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