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Bette Midler Says Cast 'All Wanted' Hocus Pocus Sequel : '30 Years Later, They Came to Their Senses'

Bette Midler attends Disney's "Hocus Pocus 2" premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on September 27, 2022 in New York City.
Bette Midler attends Disney's "Hocus Pocus 2" premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on September 27, 2022 in New York City.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty Bette Midler

The witches of Hocus Pocus are finally returning after nearly 30 years.

While speaking to PEOPLE on Tuesday at the New York City premiere of Hocus Pocus 2, Bette Midler, who stars alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy in the upcoming sequel, said they knew the story had more to give beyond the 1993 film.

"We all wanted to do it," Midler, 76, tells PEOPLE, noting that Parker, 57, was the one of the people who really pushed to make it happen. "What we couldn't understand was after the thing snowballed, we couldn't understand, as we spoke together, we would often speak together, and [think] why don't they ever give us a sequel?"

"It wasn't like a crazy, aggressive push," she continues. "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!"

The three are returning as the Sanderson sisters in the upcoming Disney + movie premiering Sept. 30 on the streamer.

Both Parker and Najimy, 65, attended Tuesday's premiere. The Sex and the City actress was accompanied by her husband, Matthew Broderick and their 13-year-old twin daughters, Tabitha Hodge and Marion Loretta Elwell on the purple carpet.

Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker attend the Hocus Pocus 2 World Premiere at AMC Lincoln Square on September 27, 2022 in New York City.
Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker attend the Hocus Pocus 2 World Premiere at AMC Lincoln Square on September 27, 2022 in New York City.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker

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In June 2022, Disney+ shared the first trailer for the film, which sheds light on how exactly the Sanderson sisters return after being defeated by Max, Dani and Allison in the original movie.

For more on Hocus Pocus 2, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

The movie will pick up almost 30 years after Max lit the Black Flame Candle in the 1993 film version and accidentally resurrected three witches on the hunt to steal children.

In the sequel, Winifred, Sarah and Mary now seek revenge as they awaken in present-day Salem, according to Entertainment Weekly. Three teenagers — Becca, Cassie, and Izzy — must find a way to stop the witches from gaining retribution.

RELATED: Sarah Jessica Parker Is Joined by Matthew Broderick and Their Daughters at 'Hocus Pocus 2' Premiere

A second trailer released in September 2022 revealed that the film will also delve into the Sanderson sisters' origin story. In the clip, the sisters appear as teenagers who head to the woods after being banished from Salem, where they encounter a witch who puts them on the path of dark magic.

In July, Hocus Pocus 2 executive producer Adam Shankman told PEOPLE that Midler, Najimy and Parker "just fell right in" with each other on set of the highly anticipated sequel.

"[It was] like a snap back in time, as if time had not [passed]," said Shankman. "They were just laughing, laughing, laughing. ... It was easy."

Shankman noted that the original Hocus Pocus "was not a hit when it came out," but eventually became "the juggernaut Halloween movie" due to it airing and streaming on various platforms each fall.

Hocus Pocus 2 will land on Disney+ Sept. 30.