News of a sequel to the 1993 Disney flop turned cult classic Hocus Pocus broke in the summer of 2014, and when it was mooted that 30 Rock writer Tina Fey was involved, it all seemed too good to be true. Which it was, as Bette Midler has confirmed it isn’t happening.
Hosting an impromptu Q&A over on her Facebook page, the two-time Oscar nominee described the Halloween movie as “one of the most beloved things I’ve ever done,” but revealed that Disney will most likely never make a sequel to the film.
The original film, which co stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, revolves around the three Sanderson Sisters, witches in Salem, Massachusetts, who attempt to steal the youth from children when a foolhardy teenage virgin accidentally summons them back from the dead. While a commercial and critical failure upon release, the film has become hugely popular in the intervening years.
Responding to a fan who asked, “Is there gonna be a Hocus Pocus 2?!” Middler writes: “After all these years and all the fan demand, I do believe I can stand and firmly say an unequivocal no.”
The Q&A sessions also revealed that Midler’s favourite TV show is the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, and that she thinks Justin Bieber is “terrific.”
