As Disney+ develops “Hocus Pocus 3,” Thora Birch, who played young Dani Dennison in the original 1993 film, says she is ready to reprise the role.
During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the actress answered questions about Dani’s return in the third installment, saying “Yeah, I would love to know what they land on and how Dani ended up. I’m very open to the idea.”
Birch was 11 when Disney released the first “Hocus Pocus.” She played the youngest member of the central Dennison family alongside her on-screen siblings, played by Omri Katz and Vinessa Shaw. Although the film failed to excel at the box office upon release, it has since attracted a large audience.
“It was so devastating when it first came out. It was such a bomb and we were all disappointed because we loved doing it,” Birch recalled, “We were like, ‘What, you don’t like it?’ and then ten years later, they’re like, ‘Oh my God, are you the girl from ‘Hocus Pocus.’
The film received the legacy sequel treatment with the release of Disney+’s “Hocus Pocus 2” in 2022. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reprized their roles as the central antagonists from the first film, but the original ensemble of the Dennison family was left out of the sequel. The film was a smash hit for the streamer, racking up 2.7 billion minutes watched in its opening weekend.
Maybe they will have a chance to return to the trio. Although Birch has expressed interest in the idea, she admits the prospect is limitless, saying, “They like to talk about this stuff, so we’ll see.” »
Birch might call Salem back sooner than she thinks. Midler recently shared during an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live” that she read an early draft of the script and thought it was “awesome.”
“Well, you know, they sent over a script, and a lot of it was great,” she said. “So I was very excited, and now we’re trying to figure out what it is and where it’s going to go and how much it’s going to cost and all these logistical things.”
