If you’re as much a cult lover of the Halloween classic Hocus Pocus as I am, you know that rumors of the possible sequel or reboot of the film seem like it could be a veritable nightmare. There are just some films and television shows that shouldn’t be touched. But if they do get made, that doesn’t mean I won’t be there glued to the screen just to make sure they haven’t completely failed the original story.
Last year it was announced that the beloved film would be produced as some form of iteration of the original, but according to Autostraddle, just last week Disney released a novelized version of Hocus Pocus that begins with some very memorable scenes from the first film, but then ventures off into new territory. Could this new novelized version of the movie be the plot for the sequel to Hocus Pocus?
But of course…there’s a twist—the story revolves around a gay romance. Quite progressive for Disney.
Here’s how it goes:
Max and Allison are now married and still living in Salem. Their 17-year-old daughter, Poppy, is skeptical about witches, but is embarrassed that her parents and her aunt Dani are superstitious about them. As it turns out, Poppy is head over heels for Isabella, a cute and popular girl at school, who is also fascinated by the legend of the Sanderson sisters.
The sequel takes place on Halloween night in 2018 when Poppy, Isabella, and their friend Travis embark on an adventure, much like the original storyline.
Will the film welcome back Better Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the quirky trio? In an interview with People, Midler said:
I know it’s cheap. It’s going to be cheap!
I’m not sure what they’re going to do with my character. My character is very, very broad and I don’t know who they’re going to find to play that.
The same article also confirmed that Parker and Najimy would not be linked to the project either…so does that put a damper on things? Most def.
The Disney Channel movie is being written by Scarlett Lacey and David Kirschner is returning as producer.
Now that the possibility of a gay characters is on the horizon for Hocus Pocus, would you watch? I will forever be against anyone touching this project, and even more so without the three original actresses. But yes, I’ll begrudgingly watch. Heck, maybe I’ll wear some Madonna cones just for nostalgia’s sake!
This was created by one of our Contributing Writers and does not reflect the opinion of Instinct Magazine or the other Contributing Writers when it comes to this subject.
Some movies just don’t need
Some movies just don't need sequels or remakes. When I was in college, I had the opportunity to interview Peter Bogdanovich around the time that A Star is Born and King Kong had been released. He stated that you don't remake a classic, but you remake a good story that wasn't made well. For years I looked at old movies that had good stories that weren't made well. Both Noel Coward's Private Lives and Design for Living are two of them. They probably will never be remade (I know about the Coward Collection productions), because they're too sophisticated for today's blow up the world movie audiences. However, Hold Your Man, which starred Clark Gable and Jean Harlow was a good story that wasn't made very well. That could be remade. There are others. Hocus Pocus doesn't need a remake and Bette Midler is right, it will be cheap. The sad thing about just about everything these days is that it's not about anything but money. I'll stick with my dvd of Hocus Pocus.