Bette Midler shares cryptic posts about Hocus Pocus leaving fans convinced about a potential threequel

Hocus Pocus 3 may not be on the official cards, but Bette Midler's Instagram posts had some fans in cahoots to give other fans hope that they will get to see the Sanderson sisters on the big screen again. The actress, who plays Winifred in the Disney franchise, recently shared an image of a black burning candle on her social media handle.

Maybe this post focused more on the upcoming spooky season, but then she shared another post, which included the Sanderson sisters, flaming the mystical fire across. And then there was another post of the magic book. This is enough to convince any fan that Hocus Pocus is on the way. You can see that on these posts on Midler's Insta handle.

Critically speaking, none of the films had a remarkable score on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. The first one holds just a 41% score, and the second film has a better 65% score.

Is there an official announcement about the third Hocus Pocus film?

The conversations surrounding the third Hocus Pocus film are there, but there is no official announcement that the film is in development, which Walt Disney Pictures confirmed in 2023. Anne Fletcher will likely be directing this one, too.

Fletcher, the director of the second movie, told The Hollywood Reporter during a Hocus Pocus 2 premiere in 2022 that:

"It’s a constant pull. You’re thinking as you’re developing the script and putting it up on its feet and creating the sets, the costumes, the cast. You’re constantly thinking what would fans love to see, what would feel too repetitious, what would be just the right amount of spice that the fans would love, so it was constantly on my mind. And I think we balanced things out in the perfect space, just all of the things we loved about the witches and a little bit more."

In another interview about the franchise that happened the following year, Midler told E! News that she doesn't know if she will return. However, she does know that she would love to return to play the character she loves. This might not be possible given how the second film ends. But witches can always be resurrected, so we will see. Not just her, but other stars in the franchise, including Omri Katz, Vinessa Shaw, and more, have shown interest in returning to another Hocus Pocus film.

The first film follows the story of the Sanderson sisters, who drain the life of a girl and turn her brother into a black cat. However, these witches are condemned to death but are resurrected three centuries later, only to be defeated again.

The second film was released almost three decades later, where the three sisters are resurrected again. It also sheds light on the story of how these sisters became witches, thanks to a Mother Witch, played by Hannah Waddingham. The evil is still there in these comic sisters, but they might have learned a lesson at the end of the movie.

If these sisters return in Hocus Pocus 3, it might be in a more positive light.