“Hocus Pocus 3” Writer Says 'Anything's on the Table' for Sequel: 'I Want to Do Right by the Fans'

Disney confirmed in June that 'Hocus Pocus 3' was in development

Hocus Pocus 3's screenwriter is teasing what could be in store for the next sequel.

Jen D'Angelo — who also wrote last year's Hocus Pocus 2, which made for Disney+'s largest movie debut at the time of its release — told Entertainment Weekly "anything's on the table" for the next installment.

"We're still in the story phase, we're still working on it," said D'Angelo, who's back to work on the project after the end of the writers' strike. Disney confirmed the third entry was in development back in June.

"We've been working on some ideas, and it's been fun to dive back into that world, and we have so many directions in which to go and so many new characters to explore," D'Angelo said.

While D'Angelo said no storylines have been set in stone, she teased that the second movie "only scratched the surface of Hannah Waddingham's mother witch" character.

Related: 'Hocus Pocus 3' Officially in Development, Disney Says

Waddingham, 49, is featured in Hocus Pocus 2 during a prologue scene set when the witchy Sanderson sisters (Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker) are children. D'Angelo confirmed to EW that Waddingham's character is the same character the sisters refer to as "mother" throughout the original 1993 movie.

"I believe that she's that mother, that she is the scorpion pie mother, and that they had a much more significant relationship with her than we've yet to see," she said. "But, maybe we will see."

"I'm hoping that we are able to explore every aspect of these stories and take these characters on a bunch of fun adventures. 3 is still very much in the early stages, we don't really know what it is," D'Angelo added.

"But we're exploring all options and I think everybody is so delighted by the reaction that Hocus Pocus 2 got, and we're excited to continue those stories."

D'angelo added she is considering what fans of the franchise would want out of a future movie.

"I want to do right by the fans and I definitely want to keep in mind what they want to see," she said, "but at the same time I feel like movies can go slightly awry when they're only catering to the fans and trying to check off a list, like, 'We got this and this, so the fans should be happy.' "

She added, "In reality, you want to make sure that the movie is solid on its own, and the fan service moments are baked into the story and that they're satisfying and not just tacked on."

Related: Hocus Pocus' Hilarious 'Calming Circle' Scene Was Improvised by Kathy Najimy, Director Reveals

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Disney did not confirm any casting details or release date for Hocus Pocus 3 when Sean Bailey, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, gave the news to The New York Times in June.

Midler, Najimy and Parker have expressed interest in returning for a third film, and actors from the original film Omri Katz (Max), Thora Birch (Dani) and Vinessa Shaw (Allison) who did not return for the sequel have also expressed interest.

“We tried so hard to get the original cast back for cameos and then it just kept not working out for one reason or the other," D’Angelo previously told Variety in September 2022. “But I’m hoping in Hocus Pocus 3, we’ll see Max and Alison living in California.”

D'Angelo also recently wrote another Halloween-themed comedy starring Kiernan Shipka, titled Totally Killer, as well as the new Awkwafina and Sandra Oh comedy Quiz Lady.

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