Hocus Pocus 3 Is Officially Happening, And Yes, The Sanderson Sisters Are Coming Back

If you were worried Disney was going to leave Hocus Pocus 2 hanging there forever with that extra Black Flame Candle tease, good news: Hocus Pocus 3 is officially in early development. Multiple outlets reported in early May that Disney is moving forward with a third film, with Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy all expected to return as Winifred, Sarah and Mary Sanderson.

Which, honestly, is the only update most people wanted anyway.

The current version of the story is this: Disney is developing the film through its live-action division, and the plan this time reportedly includes a theatrical release, rather than going straight to Disney+ like Hocus Pocus 2 did in 2022. That part is not locked in as a release-date announcement yet, but it is the strongest indication so far that Disney sees this as a bigger event movie than the last one.

There still is not much in the way of plot. The film is said to be in very early development, which means Disney has confirmed it exists, the core trio is on board, but nobody is exactly dropping trailer clues just yet. Writer Jen D’Angelo is back, and reporting says Hocus Pocus 2 director Anne Fletcher is also returning to the franchise.

Before this week’s news, there had already been a few breadcrumbs. Sarah Jessica Parker said in mid-2025 that conversations were happening, and Bette Midler later said she had read a script and that “a lot of it was brilliant,” which in hindsight now feels like Disney quietly keeping the cauldron warm until it was ready to say something official.

So, is Hocus Pocus 3 coming?

Yes. Not in a “maybe one day” way. In a real, official, now-in-development way. The only catch is that it is still early, so there is no release date, trailer or full story reveal yet.

The short version: the Sanderson sisters are back, Disney is going again, and Halloween people can relax for at least five minutes.