Major Change Announced For Upcoming 'Hocus Pocus 2' Filming In Salem

Hocus Pocus 2 will be returning with its original cast, but a major change was announced ahead of production on Monday (April 26.)

The sequel to the iconic Massachusetts based Halloween film will be directed by Anne Fletcher, who will take over in the absence of Adam Shankman after Shankman stepped down from the project due to a schedule conflict with the filming of the upcoming movie Disenchanted, Patch.com reports.

Hocus Pocus 2 is set to begin filming in Salem later this summer, though it has not yet been confirmed whether the Sanderson Sisters -- played by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker -- will be working on location in Massachusetts anytime soon.

The sequel film is scheduled to be released in 2022, Disinsider.com reports.

The original Hocus Pocus film was released in 1993 and directed by Kenny Ortega, who told Variety last year that his only wish for the sequel was for it to "involve the three women in some major capacity," which was teased and later confirmed by Midler.

Disney also re-released Hocus Pocus in theatres last October, 27 years after its original premiere, where the movie topped the U.S. box office amid a pause in production due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Photo: Walt Disney Pictures/Everett Collection