Sanderson witches are 'positive for women': Hocus Pocus 2 returns after 29 years — and other big sequels you may not know are coming

There are some movies that are Halloween staples but it's always great to spice up your selection.

Hocus Pocus has been a cult classic since its release in 1993 and its sequel Hocus Pocus 2's release on Disney+ last Friday (Sept 30) gives us something new and campy to watch during this spooky month of October.

It features the villainous and hilarious Sanderson sisters — three witches from the 17th century - who get summoned to the modern day (once again).

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During a virtual press conference on Sept 28, Bette Midler, who reprises her role as the oldest sister Winifred, said that the three witches are "positive for women in a weird way".

"First of all, they're very funny, which women are not allowed or supposed to be," the 76-year-old said. "And they're intensely loyal to each other… their bond is very, very strong."

Kathy Najimy, who reprises her role as Mary, added jokingly: "We're gonna get things done, even if it's to eat children."

To Kathy, 65, Hocus Pocus is Wizard of Oz-esque as a cultural phenomenon: "Where one generation shows it to their kids, who show it to their kids, and show it to their kids."

Sarah Jessical Parker plays Sarah, the youngest of the Sanderson sisters.

Here are some other movie sequels lined up for the rest of 2022 and 2023, and thankfully, none of them were 29 years in the making.

Halloween Ends

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The slasher-thriller Halloween franchise is on the other end of things to watch on Halloween, if camp and comedy aren't your style.

Thirteen instalments and three generations later, the Halloween franchise — which started all the way back in 1978 — is set to conclude with Halloween Ends, releasing Oct 14.

Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her role as Laurie Strode, a survivor of the 1978 killing spree by Michael Myers (played by James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle). She suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism in the present day.

Also the grandmother to Allyson Nelson (Andi Matichak), the protagonist of the 2021 movie Halloween Kills, Laurie must face off against her mortal enemy Michael Myers one last time.

ALSO READ: New Halloween Ends photo teases Laurie Strode's final fight against Michael Myers

Avatar: The Way of Water

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For a long time, whether James Cameron's Avatar would ever get a sequel was up in the air.

Released in 2009, the original movie became the highest-grossing film of all time, and sequels were confirmed in 2010 but never materialised - until now.

In 2021, it was confirmed that four sequels were being worked on. The first of these, Avatar: The Way of Water, is set to be released on Dec 16, while the second sequel is in post-production.

It takes place a decade after the events of the first movie, and follows the trials and tribulations of James Sully (played by Sam Worthington) who gave up his humanity to live with the Na'vi in the original movie, his mate Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and their family.

Disenchanted

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Disenchanted is the sequel to 2007's musical romantic comedy Enchanted, and though the title sounds foreboding, it is set to release on Nov 24, to coincide with Thanksgiving and the original movie's 15th anniversary.

The sequel takes place a decade after 'happily ever after', and sees Gisele (Amy Adams), her husband Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and her step-daughter Morgan (Gabriella Baldacchino) move to the suburbs.

When problems arise, Gisele uses her magic wand to wish their lives were a perfect fairy tale - but of course that backfires and she has to fix things before the clock strikes midnight.

Disenchanted will be available for streaming on Disney+.

John Wick: Chapter 4

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Keanu Reeves is returning as John Wick!

Originally set to be released in 2021, the fourth instalment of John Wick was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and also Keanu reprising his role in the Matrix series.

John Wick: Chapter 4 serves as the direct sequel to 2019's John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum and is set to release on March 24, 2023.

What does John Wick 4 have in store for us? According to director Chad Stahelski, it will be the longest movie in the series and explore "ninjas in cars, I guess." The star-studded cast also includes Donnie Yen, Laurence Fishburne, Bill Skarsgård and more.

ALSO READ: Who's who in John Wick 4: Every actor joining Keanu Reeves in the sequel

Dune: Part Two

Sci-fi fans who watched Dune in 2021 lauded the movie adaptation for a faithful adaptation of the novel by Frank Herbert.

But with such attention to detail came one problem — the movie only covered the first half of the book!

Fret not, because Dune: Part Two began filming in June this year in Budapest, with pre-shooting taking place in the picturesque and modernist Brion tomb at Altivole, Italy.

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The movie is set to release on Nov 17, 2023, with the original cast of Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin reprising their roles.

New additions to the cast include Lea Seydoux playing Lady Margot (a member of the secret matriarchal order Bene Gesserit), Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken and Austin Butler.

Indiana Jones

Another legendary film series reaching its conclusion is Indiana Jones with its fifth instalment. Set to release on June 23, 2023, the title of the movie seems to be just Indiana Jones, sans any bells and whistles.

It features Harrison Ford, now 80, reprising his role as the most famous movie archaeologist.

Back in 2008, with the release of the fourth film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Harrison said that he would consider doing a fifth movie as long as it didn't take 20 years to make — since there was a 19-year-gap between the third and fourth films.

Though development of the fifth movie did start in 2008, it stalled for several years until filming restarted in June 2021.

On Twitter, director James Manigold said that he understood the "wariness" of fans who are concerned that the fifth instalment would not be directed by Steven Spielberg.

He wrote: "I hope when you see real images, they'll look better to you than paparazzi shots from bushes."

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Joining Harrison are Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Helena, Indiana's granddaughter and John-Rhys Davies as Salah, reprising his role from the 2008 movie.

The cast also includes Mads Mikkelsen and Antonio Banderas, and only time will tell which roles they will play.

drimac@asiaone.com