The Sanderson sisters will return!

Hocus Pocus 3 officially in development with Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy on board

The Sanderson sisters will return!

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Entertainment Tonight and Popsugar.

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May 6, 2026 3:34 p.m. ET

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Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler, and Sarah Jessica Parker in 'Hocus Pocus 2'. Credit: Matt Kennedy/Disney

- ** has confirmed that the long-teased *Hocus Pocus 3* film is officially in development.

- The news comes almost three years after Disney first announced that the threequel was in the works.

- Franchise stars Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker will reprise their beloved roles as the Sanderson sisters.

The Sanderson sisters are returning to triple your trouble! ** has confirmed that the long-teased *Hocus Pocus 3* film is officially in development, almost three years after Disney first announced that the threequel was in the works.

Franchise stars Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker will reprise their beloved roles as the Sanderson sisters, a trio of Salem witches who can't seem to stay away from modern times.

The news follows the major streaming success of *Hocus Pocus 2** *in 2022, which reunited the central stars 29 years after the release of director Kenny Ortega's 1993 original, and broke streaming records for the Disney+ platform upon its debut.

*Deadline*, which first broke the news, reports that there are plans for a theatrical distribution component this time following the sequel's massive success while available exclusively on Disney+. EVP of Production Jessica Virtue will be overseeing the project on behalf of Disney Live Action.

Parker, Midler, and Najimy in 'Hocus Pocus 2'. Disney+

Disney first announced in the summer of 2023 that a third film was in development, with writer Jen D'Angelo telling EW shortly afterward that she had a lot of ideas for the sequel, including potentially expanding upon the storyline set forth by Hannah Waddingham's mother witch in the 2022 sequel.

"We're still in the story phase, we're still working on it. We've been working on some ideas, and it's been fun to dive back into that world, and we have so many directions in which to go and so many new characters to explore," D'Angelo said at the time. "We've only scratched the surface of Hannah Waddingham's mother witch."

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When D'Angelo confirmed news EW broke in early 2022 that OG star Thora Birch — along with costars Vinessa Shaw and Omri Katz, who collectively portrayed the children who resurrected the sinister Sanderson Sisters in 1993 Salem — would not be returning for the second film, she also shared several ideas featuring Birch that could possibly serve as elements in *Hocus Pocus 3.*

"I was so invested in trying to get [Birch as] Dani back into the story. We had a bunch of different versions of that, too, where she was really a part of it," D'Angelo revealed at the time, noting that "there were some versions where she was popping in briefly as a cameo," and another where "she has a whole arsenal of anti-magic" to fight the Sandersons' modern resurrection in the sequel.

Almost a year later, in June 2024, Midler gave another update during an interview on *The Jess Cagle Show*. The actress said at the time that Disney was "very gingerly and very gently" working on the third film.

Hannah Waddingham in 'Hocus Pocus 2'. Disney+

Director Anne Fletcher took over to helm *Hocus Pocus 2*, which again resurrected Midler, Parker, and Najimy as the Sanderson Sisters, who returned to terrorize a modern-day group of teenage girls that unwittingly brought them back from the dead on Halloween. The film ended on an ambiguous note that teased a potential continuation of the story ahead.

Original star Doug Jones also returned for the sequel as the zombified Billy Butcherson, though EW exclusively confirmed that other actors from the first film — including Larry Bagby, Tobias Jelinek, Katz, Shaw, and Birch — would not reprise their roles in the sequel.

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In an exclusive interview with EW for *Hocus Pocus 2*, Midler, Parker, and Najimy shared their thoughts on continuing the series for a third film.

"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. 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," Midler said at the time.

She 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!"

**"**Kathy had a good idea that the third one should be animated," Parker shared. "That would be cool and a smart idea. It's fun, funny, and could be interesting and innovative, like old-fashioned or new [animation]... Of course I'd be happy to have a conversation [for a third film], it just depends on what Kathy and Bette want!"

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