After almost 30 years, "Hocus Pocus" gets a sequel. The sequel to the 1993 fantasy comedy hits Disney on September 30, 2022. Bette Midler (76), Sarah Jessica Parker (57) and Kathy Najimy (65) also slip into the roles of the Sanderson witches in part two. But the young protagonists of the original are not returning. Director Anne Fletcher (56) has now revealed this to "Entertainment Weekly" – and also revealed the reason for it.

Neither Omri Katz (46) nor Vinessa Shaw (46) will appear in "Hocus Pocus 2", according to Fletcher. In the original, the two played the teenage couple Max and Alison, who accidentally awaken the Sanderson witches after 300 years.

Thora Birch (40), who played Katz's little sister Dani in part one, was supposed to be in the sequel. But the actress, who became a star in 1999 with "American Beauty", had to pass due to scheduling difficulties. Your cancellation was already known in May of this year.

Anne Fletcher says she tried to fit Max and Alison into the script for part two. But this proved difficult. "We wanted to weave in all the characters that fans love," she told Entertainment Weekly. But as the creators explored their material, the question arose, "How are we going to pull this off?". Despite extensive discussions, this challenge failed, the director admitted.

Fletcher turned down the idea of ​​honoring Omri Katz and Vinessa Shaw in a cameo role. "You want to put the main actors of the first film in the background and be satisfied? You will not be satisfied, you will be angry."

Instead of Max, Alison and Dani, the film focuses on three teenagers from 2022 who bring the witches back to life. They are played by Belissa Escobedo (23), Lilia Buckingham (19) and Whitney Peak (19).