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‘Hocus Pocus 2’ director Anne Fletcher is “open” to another sequel.
The 56-year-old filmmaker is at the helm of the upcoming comedy horror movie – which is a follow-up to the original 1993 classic and set to launch on Disney+ on September 30 – and she won’t rule out a third film if Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker all want to return as the Sanderson sisters.
Speaking to SFX magazine, she said: “I have definitely left it WIDE open for any sequel. Now it’s really up to them if they want to do it.
“I can’t say anything other than yes, it is left open. Will they do it? I don’t know, they haven’t even talked about it, that I can be honest with you.”
Producer Lynn Harris also refuses to rule out the possibility, noting that the fantasy themes will always be popular with fans.
She added: “There’s always potential. It’s a movie about magic and witches. Those things are timeless aren’t they? A multiverse of witches!”
The prospect of a third film could be decided by Midler, Najimy and Parker – who play sisters Winne, Mary and Sarah respectively – with the trio also playing a huge role in making the upcoming sequel a reality.
Harris recalled: “We approached the women and said, ‘Hey, guys, it’s time to get the band back together’. They were all amenable and excited and had great notes on the scrip, which we took into account, because each of them as such a deep awareness of their character.
“Even though it had been 27 years, when we first started talking. They really remembered and understood who they were as Winnie, Sarah and Mary. They clicked right back into character, and it was magic.”
For Fletcher, it was a dream to see the three stars interacting on set, particularly as it came to the chemistry between their characters.
She said: “It is truly as though they had not been out of costume for 27 years. They went right back into character.
“When I say character, not just their own individual character, but the way in which they relate to one another, which is very specific, in terms of the familial squabbles in birth order.