We’ll see plenty of familiar faces in Hocus Pocus 2 this fall, but Thora Birch will not be among them. Per Entertainment Weekly, Birch was reportedly asked to reprise her role in Hocus Pocus 2 as an adult version of Dani Dennison, the child she played in the original 1993 movie. At the time, however, Birch was already signed up to star in Tim Burton’s Addams Family reboot series, Wednesday, which is in the works at Netflix. This meant that she had to turn down Hocus Pocus 2 due to scheduling conflicts.

According to the report, the idea was for Birch to appear in a “good supporting role” rather than a brief cameo. As Dani, she would have worked with three new teen characters, played by Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl), Lilia Buckingham (Dirt), and Belissa Escobedo (American Horror Stories), assisting them with their plan to stop the Sanderson Sisters in their new plot for revenge. Dani had similarly thwarted the Sandersons in 1993 with the help of her brother, Max (Omri Katz), and his girlfriend, Allison (Vinessa Shaw). Speaking of which, Shaw also expressed her desire to return but said she wasn’t called.

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We can presume that Birch likely would have joined the sequel if not for these scheduling conflicts. The actress had previously suggested she was hoping to return as Dani after Hocus Pocus 2 was first announced. At that point, there had been rumors for years of Hocus Pocus 2, and she was stoked to see the gears finally get turning on the project. She also said she’d come back if they asked her, so long as

“I’m excited for it,” Birch said in 2020, per Hollywood Life. “They’ve been talking about this reboot for five years. I’m excited to see what it all looks like. I know a little bit about a couple of ideas for stories, but I don’t know where it’s all going to fall at the end of the day.”

“If they would have me. Depending on [the storyline]. I’m sure Dani’s not going to be selling crack in an alley anywhere, so I’m pretty open-minded.”

As for Wednesday, Birch wound up leaving the series partway through production to attend to a “personal matter.”

Hocus Pocus 2 Brings Back Many Fan Favorites

     Walt Disney Pictures

Anne Fletcher directs Hocus Pocus 2 using a screenplay by Jen D’Angelo. The film brings back Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy to reprise their roles a the Sanderson Sisters, returning once again to Salem to terrorize the town. Doug Jones will also return as Billy Butcherson, but it’s unclear if any other original stars will return. New cast members include Tony Hale, Sam Richardson, Hannah Waddingham, and Froy Gutierrez.

The original Hocus Pocus, which was released in 1993, was directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert, based on a story by Garris and David Kirschner. It picks up with the Sandersons resurrected in Salem by a teenage boy on Halloween night. It was not an immediate success but built up a massive following in subsequent years thanks to its home video release and annual airings on television.

Hocus Pocus 2 will be released on Halloween 2022 on Disney+.