Hocus Pocus 3: Could The Sanderson Sisters Be Coming Back To Salem?

SALEM, MA — The smell of children could soon be in the air in Salem once again with a third "Hocus Pocus" in the works.

Walt Disney Pictures President Sean Bailey confirmed in a New York Times interview published this weekend that "yes, 'Hocus Pocus 3' is happening" as he talked about upcoming projects for the studio.

The Sanderson Sisters returned to the Salem-set story last fall for a sequel to the 1993 cult film. Although the sequel was largely shot in Rhode Island, it rekindled the sensation for a generation of fans of the Witch City original, as well as introduced a whole new audience to the hijinks of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy and other original actors and characters.

The reboot broke streaming records during its opening weekend and become the most-watched original film on the Disney+ network.

Creative Collective and the city hosted a public showing of the sequel on Salem Common the September weekend of its release with Midler proclaiming in the trailer: "Lock up your children! Yes, Salem, we're back."

A timeline for the filming or release of the third installment has not yet been released.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)