“Sisssstaaaahs… prepare thyselves. ‘Tis time.” With that caption — and a shadowy production still of three silhouetted witches framed by heavy iron doors — Bette Midler sent Halloween fans into a frenzy earlier this month. Hocus Pocus 3 is officially in production at Disney Live Action Studios, all three Sanderson Sisters are back, and the most wonderful time of the year just got a whole lot more magical.
The sisters are summoned
Midler, who plays Winifred Sanderson, shared the production still on her Instagram around October 2, 2026 — the first tangible evidence that cameras are rolling on the third chapter. The image shows the sisters in smoky silhouette and does exactly what a first look should: it tells you nothing and everything at once. The witches are back. Salem awaits. That is all you need.
The casting was confirmed by Deadline back in May 2026: all three Sanderson Sisters return — Bette Midler as Winifred, Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah, Kathy Najimy as Mary. The trio made the 1993 original a perennial Halloween staple and carried the 2022 sequel to massive Disney+ numbers. There is no Hocus Pocus without all three of them. Disney clearly knows it.
A slow-burning spell
This film took its time. Disney first greenlit Hocus Pocus 3 in June 2023, but things stayed quiet until October 2025, when Midler revealed she had seen a script she called “brilliant.” Then came Deadline’s May 2026 report that the film was officially in early development — and now Midler’s Instagram has all but confirmed that development has become production.
The patience makes sense. The Hocus Pocus franchise is one of the strangest success stories in Disney history: a 1993 theatrical release that underperformed, resurrected by three decades of cable reruns and Halloween marathons into a genuine cultural institution. The 2022 sequel proved the audience was real and ravenous — one of the biggest Disney+ debuts of that year, weeks in the streamer’s top ten. You do not rush the third one. You get it right.
What we know — and what we don’t
Plot details: none. Zero. The production still is the entire marketing campaign so far, and honestly, it is working. The “who” is the sisters. The “where” is Disney Live Action Studios. The “when” is unannounced — but a Halloween-adjacent release would be the most predictable scheduling decision in Hollywood history, and sometimes predictable is perfect.
What the film needs is the same alchemy as the first two: the sisters’ gloriously unhinged chemistry, a Salem that feels lived-in and a little haunted, and at least one musical number destined for Halloween playlists forever. Midler calling the script “brilliant” is the best early indicator we could ask for — she has never been shy about her standards.
The spell so far
October is the Sanderson Sisters’ month and everyone else is just visiting. Kids who watched the original on the Disney Channel in the ’90s are now parents showing it to their own kids — exactly the multi-generational engine Disney builds franchises on. For more October plans, Universal Studios Hollywood’s holiday season is ramping up and a storybook advent calendar sweetens the countdown. But for pure witchy joy, nothing touches the sisters. Midler said it best: ’tis time. Amok, amok, amok.
Be First to Comment