Bette Midler.Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty
The witches ofHocus Pocusare finally returning after nearly 30 years.
While speaking to PEOPLE on Tuesday at the New York City premiere ofHocus Pocus 2,Bette Midler, who stars alongsideSarah Jessica ParkerandKathy Najimyin the upcoming sequel, said they knew the story had more to give beyond the 1993 film.
“We all wanted to do it,” Midler, 76, tells PEOPLE, noting that Parker, 57, was the one of the people who really pushed to make it happen. “What we couldn’t understand was after the thing snowballed, we couldn’t understand, as we spoke together, we would often speak together, and [think] why don’t they ever give us a sequel?”
“It wasn’t like a crazy, aggressive push,” she continues. “It was just that we felt that it had a life outside of what it had had. And eventually 30 years later, they came to their senses!”
The three are returning as the Sanderson sisters in the upcoming Disney + movie premiering Sept. 30 on the streamer.
Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker.Jamie McCarthy/Getty
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The movie will pick up almost 30 years afterMax lit the Black Flame Candle in the 1993 film version and accidentally resurrected three witches on the hunt to steal children.
In the sequel, Winifred, Sarah and Mary now seek revenge as they awaken in present-day Salem, according toEntertainment Weekly. Three teenagers — Becca, Cassie, and Izzy — must find a way to stop the witches from gaining retribution.
A second trailer released in September 2022 revealed that the film will also delve into the Sanderson sisters' origin story. In the clip, the sisters appear as teenagers who head to the woods after being banished from Salem, where they encounter a witch who puts them on the path of dark magic.
In July,Hocus Pocus 2executive producer Adam Shankmantold PEOPLEthat Midler, Najimy and Parker “just fell right in” with each other on set of the highly anticipated sequel.
“[It was] like a snap back in time, as if time had not [passed],” said Shankman. “They were just laughing, laughing, laughing. … It was easy.”
Shankman noted that the originalHocus Pocus"was not a hit when it came out," but eventually became “the juggernaut Halloween movie” due to it airing and streaming on various platforms each fall.
Hocus Pocus 2will land on Disney+ Sept. 30.
source: people.com
