Thora Birch Open to Returning for Hocus Pocus 3

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Thora Birch, who played Dani Dennison in the original 1993 film Hocus Pocus, is expressing her interest in returning for a third installment of the franchise. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight on October 25, 2025, Birch stated she is “super open” to the idea of reprising her role.

Birch conveyed her curiosity about how her character might evolve in the new film. “Yeah, I’d like to know what they land on for how Dani wound up. I’m super open to the idea,” she said. This comes as Disney+ is developing the sequel, following the success of Hocus Pocus 2, which accumulated billions of minutes viewed during its opening week.

In the first film, Dani, along with her older brother Max (played by Omri Katz) and his crush Allison (Vinessa Shaw), attempts to save the children of Salem, Massachusetts, after the Sanderson sisters are accidentally awakened. Despite Birch, Katz, and Shaw being missing from the sequel, the original cast has remained a point of interest for fans.

Birch was only 11 years old when she starred in the original film, which initially struggled at the box office but has since developed a strong cultural following. Reflecting on the film’s initial reception, Birch noted, “It was so devastating when it first came out. It was such a bomb and we were all bummed because we loved making it.”

After Hocus Pocus 2 debuted on Disney+, Bette Midler, who plays Winifred Sanderson, shared that she read a draft of the script for the third film and found it to be “brilliant.” However, she noted that various logistical considerations must be resolved before production can commence.

Although Birch has shown enthusiasm, casting decisions are still in the early stages, and nothing is finalized. The anticipation for a reunion of the original cast continues to build, with fans eager to see how Dani’s story will unfold.

As discussions move forward, Birch remains hopeful, stating, “They love talking about this stuff, so we’ll see.”