Hocus Pocus 2's Newcomers Found Out They Landed The Lead Roles In The Best Way Possible

The long-awaited and highly anticipated "Hocus Pocus 2" is finally upon us for the Halloween season, as the sequel premieres this Friday, September 30th. Disney's original "Hocus Pocus" from 1993 inspired an entire generation of kids who are now older and more excited than ever to see the Sanderson Sisters once again (via Reddit). The first film became incredibly successful for Disney, despite a poor critical score (via Rotten Tomatoes). However, nothing ever came of a sequel in the mid-'90s, and then, about 28 years later, the announcement of the Sanderson Sisters' return broke in May of 2021 (via Deadline).

Although the end of the first film would make it seem as though the Sanderson Sisters are finally dust, the spell book remaining active left open a possibility for their return; it seems now that three new kids have accidentally brought them back to life in Salem and must again prevent them from draining the life of the local children on Halloween. As opposed to Max (Omri Katz) and Dani (Thora Birch) from the first film, "Hocus Pocus 2" will follow Becca (Whitney Peak), Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), and Cassie (Lilia Buckingham).

Landing these roles is likely a huge deal for the young actors as they break into the entertainment industry, and the newcomers even recently revealed that they found out about getting their parts in the best way possible.

According to the new members of the main cast of "Hocus Pocus 2," Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, and Lilia Buckingham, finding out about getting their parts in the film was pretty exciting. They revealed at the Disney press event Looper attended that they were told during a chemistry test with Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy. While doing the test, the three young actresses were first asked to give their best horror-film-like screams. After a little bit more improvisation with the Sanderson Sisters, they were stopped once more. This time, they were asked, "how would you scream after you found out you got the part?" Naturally, Peak, Escobedo, and Buckingham went crazy.

Midler, Parker, and Najimy seem just as excited to be doing "Hocus Pocus 2." During the New York City premiere of the film on Tuesday, Midler told People Magazine that the three had been wanting to do a sequel for years. Finally, they (specifically Parker) decided to give it one last "aggressive push" to get it green-lit, and it worked. " "It wasn't like a crazy, aggressive push," Midler explained. "It was just that we felt that it had a life outside of what it had had. And eventually, 30 years later, they came to their senses!" Fans can see "Hocus Pocus 2" in theaters and streaming on Disney+.