Thora Birch Open to Reprising Role in Hocus Pocus 3

Los Angeles, CA — Thora Birch, who portrayed Dani Dennison in the classic 1993 film Hocus Pocus, expressed enthusiasm about returning for a third installment currently in development. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Birch confirmed her interest, saying, “Yeah, I’d like to know what they land on for how Dani wound up. I’m super open to the idea.”

Birch was only 11 years old when the original Disney film was released. Despite its box office failure, Hocus Pocus later gained a devoted fan base. Reflecting on the film’s initial reception, Birch remarked, “It was so devastating when it first came out. It was such a bomb and we were all bummed because we loved making it.” She noted that a decade later, people began recognizing her for her role.

The franchise experienced a resurgence with the release of Hocus Pocus 2 on Disney+ in 2022, which reunited Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the iconic Sanderson sisters. The sequel was a commercial success, racking up 2.7 billion viewing minutes within its first week. However, the original Dennison siblings, including Birch, were not included in this installment.

With Hocus Pocus 3 officially in the works, Birch remains hopeful about a potential return. She added, “They like talking about this stuff, so we’ll see.” Meanwhile, Bette Midler has hinted at exciting developments for the sequel. On Watch What Happens Live, Midler revealed she had read an early draft of the script, saying, “A lot of it was brilliant. So I got very excited, and now we’re trying to figure out what it is and where it’s going to be and how much it’s going to cost and all those logistical things.”