Hocus Pocus star responds to not coming back for the sequel
Hocus Pocus is returning for a sequel later this year, with Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy all reprising their roles for more magical mischief.
But the actors who played the supporting human characters – including Omri Katz, Thora Birch and Vinessa Shaw – aren't returning, which isn't necessarily a big surprise as their stories wrapped up with the first one.
Thankfully, there's no bad blood from Katz, who hasn't really done any movies and TV shows since the early 2000s.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the Max Dennison actor said: "People have been asking, and unfortunately, I'm not in it. I would have loved to be involved.
"I feel bad for the original fan base saying we aren't because I'm sure they wanted to see us reprise our roles... I think [the sequel will] be good for everyone who loved the original! I hope fans will go see it. I know I will."
Thora Birch was actually asked to come back as Dani for the sequel, but had to decline as she was filming for Netflix's Addams Family spin-off Wednesday, although she departed the project partway through shooting.
"Everybody tried so hard. Everybody tried so hard to make that happen and it just didn't, but everybody tried so hard," she said earlier this year.
"That was everybody's intention. But you know what? At the end of the day, just between you and I, I'd probably rather play Winifred in the future. I'd probably rather play Winnie."
Director Alan Fletcher reiterated that effort was made to get some OGs back, but he opted to not feature them at all rather than squeeze in some blink-and-you'll-miss-them cameos.
"People would say, 'They could be in the background!' and I'm like, really?" he explained. "You're going to put the leads of the first movie in the background and be satisfied? You're not going to be satisfied, you're going to be angry."
Hocus Pocus 2 will be released on Disney+ on September 30.
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