Aug. 30 (UPI) — Disney+ on Tuesday revealed the official poster for the long-awaited “Hocus Pocus 2,” which will begin streaming exclusively on Disney+ on Sept. 30.
The poster features the three Sanderson sisters, Winnie, Mary and Sarah in front of a full moon, showing off the trio’s return to the witchy town of Salem, Mass., where they will intend to wreak havoc on the town’s residents once again.
The film is a follow-up to 1993’s cult classic “Hocus Pocus,” which chronicled the lives of the Sanderson sisters, a group of 17th-century witches who were accidentally resurrected by a teenage boy on Halloween night.
The three sisters were played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, all three of whom reprised their roles for “Hocus Pocus 2.”
Joining the original trio of witches is Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham, Belissa Escobedo, Hannah Waddingham, Tony Hale and Sam Richardson in new roles.
“Hocus Pocus 2” was directed by Anne Fletcher, who takes over the role originally filled by Kenny Ortega.
Rumors swirled for years that a “Hocus Pocus” sequel was in the works at Disney, but the studio never spoke officially about the project. However, multiple cast members from the original film, including all three actresses for the Sanderson sisters, were reportedly interested in returning.
A sequel was finally confirmed by Disney+ to be in development in October 2019.
The film was originally planned to be directed by Adam Shankman, who was also working on another Disney+ exclusive, “Disenchanted” — a sequel to the 2007 Amy Adams film “Enchanted.”
Shankman was later replaced as director by Fletcher due to scheduling conflicts between the two projects, though he would stay on as an executive producer.
He recently told People that stepping back onto set with the three leads was “like a snap back in time, as if time had not [passed].”
“When the opportunity [to make the sequel] appeared in the form of Disney+, I think that the service just stepped forward and said, ‘If you can make this happen, we want it and need it,'” Shankman added.
Midler announced earlier this year on social media that production on the film had been completed, and Disney+ confirmed a September release date this past May.
A teaser trailer released in June showed off the first footage of the film, with the Sanderson sisters emerging once again.
