The Unexpected Hocus Pocus Star Who Received The Most Requests For A Sequel

The original "Hocus Pocus," directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert, centers on the Sanderson sisters — leader Winnie (Bette Midler), dim-witted Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker), and middle sister Mary (Kathy Najimy) — who are villainous witches recently resurrected by accident. The kids who inadvertently released the Sandersons then must do whatever possible to stop the sisters from becoming immortal. Since its premiere in 1993, "Hocus Pocus" has become a well-beloved Halloween movie.

And now, nearly three decades later, the Sanderson sisters are returning to viewers' screens with a sequel, "Hocus Pocus 2," written by Jen D'Angelo and directed by Anne Fletcher. The new film sees the Sanderson sisters returning to Salem looking for revenge — leading high schoolers to work together to stop the witches. These three new main characters are played by Lilia Buckingham, Belissa Escobedo, and "Gossip Girl" star Whitney Peak. The cast also features "Ted Lasso" star Hannah Waddingham and "Arrested Development" actor Tony Hale, amongst others.

With the release date of the sequel fast approaching — it hits Disney+ on September 30, 2022 — fans are likely getting more and more excited to see how the next chapter of the Sanderson sisters' lives plays out. As it turns out, fans have been itching for more "Hocus Pocus" for a while — and the stars recently revealed which one of them received the most fan requests for a sequel.

The three main cast members — Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker — recently appeared on Good Morning America to discuss reuniting for "Hocus Pocus 2" decades after the original film was released to theaters. Of course, the topic of fans and their desire for a sequel over all these years came up in the discussion. Midler revealed that out of the three of them, it's actually Najimy who has heard the most from fans asking ardently for a sequel.

Midler explained that for about 10 to 15 years, fans have been getting in touch with Najimy to ask if there will be more "Hocus Pocus" and even asking if specific beloved plot points from the first film might show up in some capacity in the next movie. Midler continued, "And she really knows the fans. So she's been the one that's been sort of feeding this information to us, a lot — for a long time." Najimy chimed in, "Yeah, there's a lot of them. They're lovely, slightly scary, but lovely people."

On the topic of their fans, Parker then jumped to add that she thinks it's really special how diverse the fanbase is, especially in terms of age, seeing as the time between the first and second film is an entire generation. Parker said, "It's been 30 years. So generationally, what's happened is this generation has grown up and handed off to their kids."

"Hocus Pocus 2" will be available for viewers — of all ages, whether old or new fans of the Sanderson sisters — to watch on Disney+ on September 30, 2022.