Disney Channel has announced plans to remake the cult classic “Hocus Pocus” as a TV movie.
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, who starred in the 1993 Disney feature film, will not be involved in the reboot, and neither will original director Kenny Ortega. The updated version will have a new cast and a new director.
The re-imagined project will be written by Scarlett Lacey (“The Royals”), and David Kirschner, who produced the original, is set to executive produce.
A Halloween classic, “Hocus Pocus” tells the story of a teenager in Salem, Mass., who accidentally resurrects three witches — known as the Sanderson sisters — while exploring an abandoned house with his sister and their friend. The original was based on a story by Mick Garris and Kirschner and written by Neil Cuthbert and Garris.
The original film was originally set to be a TV movie, but the studio decided the material was strong enough to draw a name cast and get a theatrical release. The July release grossed a middling $39 million before becoming a hit after repeated Disney Channel airings.
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Talks of a remake have been in the air for years. In 2014, rumors circulated that Tina Fey would be producing a sequel, though her rep clarified it was inaccurate. The news that “Hocus Pocus” was getting a remake, not a revival, sparked outrage on Twitter. Users also expressed their disappointment with the plan to recast the film.
https://twitter.com/itslaurenyap/status/913407972864389120
https://twitter.com/Jbunnyxoxo/status/913545648649195522
This #HocusPocus remake news is bringing up painful memories of when they recast Marnie in the Halloweentown sequels. #NotMyMarnie pic.twitter.com/nL29ClJwB1
— Andy Swift (@AndySwift) September 28, 2017
How can Disney remake Hocus POCUS?!
Don't mess with classics 🙄😜
ITS ALREADY THE BESTTTT! Haha
— Sierra Dallas (@SierraDallas) September 28, 2017
