Hocus Pocus 3 Is Happening With the Full Sanderson Sisters Trio

Another glorious morning, indeed. After years of teases, salary standoffs, and one very promising script, Hocus Pocus 3 is officially in early development at Disney Live Action Studios — and Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy are all coming back to complete the trilogy.

Deadline broke the news, confirming that the full Sanderson Sisters trio will reprise their roles as Winnie, Sarah, and Mary. Hocus Pocus 2 director Anne Fletcher and writer Jen D’Angelo are also returning, giving the threequel a continuity of creative vision that fans will appreciate. Disney EVP of Production Jessica Virtue will oversee the project on behalf of Disney Live Action.

Plot details are being kept firmly under wraps for now. But there’s one piece of information that’s going to make fans very happy: unlike Hocus Pocus 2, which went straight to Disney+, this installment is being developed with a theatrical release component in mind. The streamer will almost certainly get it eventually — but the Sanderson Sisters may actually be coming to a movie theater near you.

A Long Road Back to Salem

The path to Hocus Pocus 3 has been anything but smooth. Disney first greenlit the project in June 2023, when former Walt Disney Studios president Sean Bailey announced it during a profile in The New York Times. But after Bailey’s departure from Disney in 2024, the film was left in limbo, and nearly three years passed with almost no official updates — leaving fans wondering if the coven had been cursed after all.

Then, in October 2025, Midler gave everyone a reason to hope again. She confirmed she’d seen a “brilliant” script for what would be the final chapter of the franchise, but said producers were still working out “all those logistical things” before they could move forward. According to Deadline, those logistical things came down to money — specifically, the salaries Midler, Parker, and Najimy would be paid. That hurdle has since been cleared, and here we are.

Just Jared also points out that the post-credits scene from Hocus Pocus 2 hinted that more magic could be on the way — a tease that, at the time, felt like it might never pay off. Now it does.

Why This Franchise Still Has a Spell on Everyone

The original Hocus Pocus — directed by Kenny Ortega and co-written by Mick Garris — was a box office disappointment when it opened in the summer of 1993. But decades of home video rentals, Disney Channel airings, and eventually streaming transformed it into one of the most beloved Halloween movies of all time. The Sanderson Sisters became cultural icons, spawning their own stage show at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World, themed photo ops at Disneyland Resort’s Oogie Boogie Bash, and an endless stream of seasonal merchandise that sells out every October.

When Hocus Pocus 2 finally arrived on Disney+ in September 2022 — 29 years after the original — it shattered records. The sequel racked up 2.7 billion minutes of viewing in a single week, setting a Disney+ streaming record and becoming the most-watched original film on the platform over its first three days of release. The appetite for more was undeniable.

The sequel also introduced a new generation of characters, with Hannah Waddingham, Belissa Escobedo, Tony Hale, and Whitney Peak joining the original trio. And while Hocus Pocus 2 didn’t end on a cliffhanger exactly, Deadline notes that stars from both films — including Thora Birch and James Marsden — have spoken openly about wanting to return. If this is truly the final chapter of the Sanderson Sisters’ story, bringing back some familiar faces would be exactly the kind of fan service this franchise has always delivered.

No release date has been set, and the project is still in its very early stages — Disney declined to comment given how early in development it is. But after years of waiting, the fact that all three sisters are locked in, the creative team is assembled, and the salary drama is behind them? This one feels real.

The Sanderson Sisters are coming back. And this time, they might just be coming to a theater near you.