Why Bette Midler didn’t expect to ever make Hocus Pocus 2

Bette Midler never expected to make a ‘Hocus Pocus’ sequel.

The 76-year-old actress reprises her role as witch Winnie Sanderson in the fantasy comedy sequel and didn’t think that a follow-up to the 1993 cult classic would be possible.

Asked if she ever expected the release of ‘Hocus Pocus 2’, Bette told MarkMeets: “I didn’t until the day finally came. And then, I realised, ‘Oh, we’re really gonna do this.’ This was a dream come true, it really was.

“After I realised 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 like 15 years ago, or something like that. And here we are.”

In our 6/10 review, we said the nostaglic feel was the best part and it was so good to see Bette back as a Sanderson.

The ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’ hitmaker added: “I do love a franchise. I think I’m a little elderly for a franchise, at this point, but I’ll take what I can get.”

The original ‘Hocus Pocus’ film has become a cult classic and Bette’s co-star Kathy Najimy – who plays Winnie’s sister Mary Sanderson – is surprised by the success.

The 65-year-old star said: “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.

“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.”

Anne Fletcher, who has directed the sequel, described the original movie as “generational” and “perennial”.

She said: “I think it is generational, and it’s perennial. You can watch it with your whole family.”

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