Hocus Pocus 2 will come flying, screeching and cackling onto our TV screens this Halloween, as the sequel arrives almost 30 years after Kenny Ortega’s 1993 classic scary movie for kids. While all three original Sanderson Sisters – Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy – are returning, at least one other cast-member was reportedly asked back, but couldn’t return due to scheduling conflicts.
As well as the fantastic Sanderson Sisters, equally important to the enduring success of the family-friendly spooky movie, was the casting of the kids who bring the 17th century witches back for one magical, but scary night. They were Omri Katz (best-known for the weird and wonderful TV series Eerie, Indiana), and Vinessa Shaw, who has since gone on to appear in Eyes Wide Shut and 3:10 to Yuma.
The final kid was played by tiny Thora Birch, who was only 10 years old when she filmed Hocus Pocus, but had already appeared in 11 films and TV shows, including Patriot Games. As a teenager, she starred in American Beauty, The Hole and Ghost World. More recently, Birch appeared in The Walking Dead.
Well, according to Entertainment Weekly, Birch was approached to reprise the role of Dani Dennison in the legacy sequel. It would have been a “good supporting role” as an adult version of Dani, as she worked to help three modern-day teens (Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham, and Belissa Escobedo) with their attempts to halt the Sanderson Sisters in their dastardly plot for revenge.
The reason that Birch couldn’t make the return is because she was filming Wednesday, a TV series based on The Addams Family. Birch was playing a teacher and mentor to Wednesday at Nevermore Academy, where the show is set. However, Birch had to leave Wednesday in December for personal reasons.
While we wait for Hocus Pocus 2 to haunt our Halloweens, check out the best movies on Disney Plus right now.