Omri Katz 'would have loved to be involved' in Hocus Pocus 2 , praises sequel's 'new direction'

For some fans, the sting of Omri Katz's absence from Hocus Pocus 2 might feel like taking a shower in the Burning Rain of Death, but the OG Hocus Pocus actor tells EW he's optimistic about Disney's upcoming sequel to the beloved Halloween classic starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy.

"People have been asking, and unfortunately, I'm not in it. I would have loved to be involved," Katz tells EW exclusively through his representative, Nery Lemus. "I feel bad for the original fan base saying we aren't because I'm sure they wanted to see us reprise our roles."

Buena Vista/Courtesy Everett Collection Omri Katz and Thora Birch in 'Hocus Pocus.'

Still, Katz praises the "new direction" the Anne Fletcher-directed sequel will take without his involvement, and lauds Fletcher and the studio for "trying to attract a new fan base."

"I think it'll be good for everyone who loved the original!" the 46-year-old finishes. "I hope fans will go see it. I know I will."

Katz led filmmaker Kenny Ortega's 1993 original as Max, a Los Angeles teen who moves to Salem, where he and his sister, Dani (Thora Birch) team with a local girl, Allison (Vinessa Shaw), on Halloween night to thwart the return of the Sanderson Sisters after inadvertently resurrecting the witches from the grave 300 years after they were executed by their Puritan community.

EW also exclusively revealed on Monday that Shaw would not reprise her role in the upcoming film. We previously reported in March that Birch was initially considered for a robust supporting role in the project, but scheduling conflicts with her since-canceled role in Netflix's Wednesday series prevented her from boarding.

"We wanted to weave in all of the people that the fans loved, and when you sat back with all the ingredients and story, you're like, 'how do we make this work?'" Fletcher told EW. "It was very difficult to try to have them be a part of it because we did talk about it — painstakingly. You're trying to stay on track with story, even if they came in as a cameo. People would say, 'They could be in the background!' And I'm like, really? You're going to put the leads of the first movie in the background and be satisfied? You're not going to be satisfied, you're going to be angry."

Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Bette Midler and Omri Katz in 'Hocus Pocus.'

In addition to Shaw, Katz, and Birch, EW also revealed that their Hocus Pocus costars Larry Bagby and Tobias Jelinek — who portrayed the fan-favorite high school bullies who terrorize Max throughout the initial installment — similarly do not reprise their characters in the sequel, nor does Jason Marsden, the voice of the black cat otherwise known as Thackery Binx. However, veteran actor Doug Jones — who portrayed Midler's zombified ex-lover, Billy Butcherson, in the first film — will return for the sequel.

Under Fletcher's direction, Hocus Pocus 2 will begin with a sequence following child versions of the central witches in 1600s New England. It will pick up in contemporary Salem, where a new batch of teens (Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, and Lilia Buckingham) bring them back from the dead once again.

Matt Kennedy/Disney+ Doug Jones returns as Billy Butcherson in 'Hocus Pocus 2'

Hocus Pocus 2 — also starring Sam Richardson, Tony Hale, Hannah Waddingham, and RuPaul's Drag Race queens Kahmora Hall, Kornbread "The Snack" Jeté, and Ginger Minj — releases Sept. 30 on Disney+.

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Related content:

• Everything we know about Hocus Pocus 2: Billy's return, Drag Race queens, and Cobweb the cat

• Omri Katz, Vinessa Shaw not returning for Hocus Pocus 2

• Thora Birch won't return as Dani in Hocus Pocus 2

• Billy Butcherson returns from the grave in Hocus Pocus 2 first look photo

• Hocus Pocus 2 will explain the Sanderson Sisters' origins as children in the 1600s

• Black Flame Candle resurrects the Sanderson Sisters (and the book) in Hocus Pocus 2 teaser

• Kathy Najimy offered to call RuPaul to recommend Kornbread for Drag Race on Hocus Pocus 2 set

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• Meet Cobweb, the Hocus Pocus 2 cat who's definitely not Thackery Binx