Bette Midler asks Disney to put the pedal to the metal when it comes to ‘Hocus Pocus 3’. While a third film in the beloved Halloween franchise was officially announced in June 2022, Midler said on the QVC+ talk show “Busy This Week” (via Entertainment weekly) that she has yet to see a script. That’s only a problem for the actor, since she’s not getting any younger, and neither are her longtime co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimi.
“I haven’t seen the script, but I’ve heard rumblings,” Midler said of the third film. “I think if they do, they should, because time doesn’t just march, time rushes to the finish line. Catch us while we’re still breathing, I mean, God!”
Screenwriter Jen D’Angelo confirmed this Entertainment weekly last year, after the end of the WGA strike, “Hocus Pocus 3” was still in development.
“We’re still in the story phase, we’re still working on it,” D’Angelo said. “We have been working on a number of ideas. It was fun to dive back into that world and we have so many directions to go and so many new characters to explore. We’ve only scratched the surface of Hannah Waddingham’s Mother Witch.
“Ted Lasso” Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham made her “Hocus Pocus” debut in the second episode, released in 2022 on Disney+. She played Mother Witch, a sinister woman who gifts the spell book to the young Sanderson sisters. D’Angelo said “Everything is on the table” for the third episode and “we definitely want to see [the sisters] as adults again.”
“I hope we can explore every aspect of these stories and take these characters on lots of fun adventures,” D’Angelo continued. “We don’t really know what it is, but we’re exploring all options and I think everyone is really happy with the response ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ got, and we’re excited to continue those stories.”
“Hocus Pocus 2” broke records on the Nielsen Top 10 streaming charts when it debuted last year, racking up an opening weekend of 2.7 billion viewing minutes. The film also became the most-watched original film for Disney+ at the time of its release during its first three days. “Hocus Pocus 2” was directed by Anne Fletcher, who will also return as director of the third film.
