Bette Midler On "Hocus Pocus" TV Remake: "It's Going To Be Cheap!"
There is only one Winifred Sanderson.
Last night at her annual Hulaween gala in New York City, Bette Midler shared her thoughts on the recently announced Hocus Pocus TV remake set to debut on Disney Channel next year:
“I know it’s cheap. It’s going to be cheap,” she told People, slamming the project.
“I’m not sure what they’re going to do with my character,” she added. "My character is very, very broad and I don’t know who they’re going to find to play that.”
Even though Midler and the film's other original stars, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, have expressed interest in returning to their roles as the Sanderson Sisters from Salem, the new remake will not feature any of the original cast, or the original director, Kenny Ortega.
The reboot will be written by Scarlett Lacey (The Royals), and David Kirschner, a producer on the 1993 film, will executive produce.
In a recent interview with Forbes, original Hocus Pocus screenwriter Mick Garris commented on how the rumors of a sequel “will not die.”
“I have heard they are developing the script, I haven’t been involved in it but I think there will be a sequel it might be for Disney Channel or Freeform or ABC. I think it will be for television but I hear that it is moving ahead.”
Garris also added his thoughts on how he thinks the actresses should return for the remake:
“I think they are, yeah, I think they are. If they don’t do that I think it would be a big mistake because all three of them are still so incredibly potent and powerful and great performers and who else can recreate those characters?”
In 2015 Midler confirmed that even though her and her co-stars have all been vocal about wanting to return to play the Sanderson Sisters, it would probably never happen.
“After all these years and all the fan demand, I do believe I can stand and firmly say an unequivocal no,” the Divine Miss M said in 2015.
“I would love [to do a sequel],” Parker said last year. “I think we’ve all been fairly vocal about being very keen but that hasn’t created any groundswell of movement.”
Next year marks the Halloween classic's 25th anniversary and we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than having the film's original trio run amuck in Salem once more.
Scroll through below to see photos from Midler's 2017 Hulaween gala, including Dita von Teese, Bernadette Peters and Ben Platt.