A Disney+ Original movie debuting September 30, 2022, exclusively on Disney+, the live-action comedy “Hocus
Pocus 2” is a haunting sequel to the Halloween classic which brings back the delightfully wicked Sanderson
sisters for more comedic mayhem. “Hocus Pocus 2” stars Bette Midler (“The First Wives Club,” “Beaches”),
Sarah Jessica Parker (“Sex and the City,” “Divorce”), and Kathy Najimy (“Sister Act,” “Younger”), and is directed
by Anne Fletcher (“Dumplin,’” “The Proposal”).

Entertainment Affair recently joined actors Bette Midler (Winifred Sanderson), Kathy Najimy (Mary Sanderson), and Doug Jones (Billy Butcherson) for a virtual press conference to talk about the spook-tacular sequel. Check out a few highlights of the event below.

Midler admitted she didn’t truly believe the day would come when the sequel would come together

“I didn’t until the day finally came. And then, I realized, “Oh, we’re really gonna do this.” This was a dream come true, it really was. After I realized it was actually a phenomenon, I started asking people around my age, “Don’t you think they would be interested in a sequel?” This was a long time ago. This was like 15 years ago, or something like that. And here we are.”

For Najimy, the reason why Hocus Pocus holds such a special place in the audience’s hearts is how generations will pass its charm on to the next

“I don’t think that anyone could ever decide that ahead of time, or else everybody would make that kind of movie. You just make films, and you go on to the next one. However, the audience receives it is always a surprise. There was something in this film that was The Wizard of Oz-ish, where the generation shows it to their kids, who then show it to their kids, and so on, and it becomes part of the fabric of the history of the family. I don’t think that anyone could ever predict that.”

Doug Jones shared what it was like returning as Zombie Billy Butcherson after 30 years

“Billy Butcherson is very physical. I was 32 when I played him the first time I was 61 playing him the second time, big difference! My first scene in the movie was stumbling up a staircase into a doorway. I thought, I don't remember it being this tiring before,” he laughs. “Billy came back when I looked at myself in the mirror and thought oh my gosh, two minutes have passed in the last 29 years. He came back right away, voice and everything. I don't know how that happened, but it was kind of magical.”

Midler and Najimy discussed what the Sanderson sisters represent to them and what they hope people take from their return

“We talked a lot about sisterhood, and we talked a lot about leaning on each other and counting on each other and having loyalty to each other. In this world, there’s so much going on in this world that we never really realized, until maybe the last 25, 30, or 50 years. Things have changed for women, but things have not changed fast enough for women. And I think these three characters are really, in a strange and odd way, quite positive for women. First of all, they’re very funny, which women are not supposed to be. And they’re intensely loyal to each other, even though it’s a very broad range of emotions that they live through. In a funny way, their bond is very, very strong,” Midler said.

“There’s very little hesitation in our ideas and the things that we’re going to do,” Najimy added. “We’re like, this is what we have to get done. We’re gonna get it done, even if it’s eat children. [Laughs] Whatever it is that our mission is, there’s not a lot of second-guessing, which I don’t think you see a lot.”

“No. No second guessing,” Midler agreed. “We’re very decisive. We’re a very decisive group, which goes also goes to show that women can be decisive.”

Hocus Pocus 2 is now available to stream on Disney+.