Thora Birch inHocus Pocus(1993); Belissa Escobedo and Whitney Peak inHocus Pocus 2(2022).Photo: Buena Vista/Courtesy Everett Collection; Disney+
Ms. Dennison could’ve been a character inHocus Pocus 2.
“We almost had her. She was going to be our schoolteacher,” said Escobedo, 24. “I remember talking to [directorAnne Fletcher] about it being a thing where she was our teacher, and we went to her for help.”
Furthermore, the character Gilbert (Sam Richardson) didn’t exist in that version of the script, according to Escobedo. But, added Buckingham, 19, “We had to have a mentor figure.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Thora Birch.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
But unfortunately, “By the time theygot around to filming, I was already on something else,” she said of why she didn’t ultimately board the sequel, which is streaming now on Disney+.
Despite not being in the film, Birch is"excited for the fanswho have been begging forHocus Pocus 2for years."
“I’ll be watching along with everybody else,” theAmerican Beautyactress toldET, adding that the first movie “holds such a special place in my heart.”
RELATED VIDEO: Hannah Waddingham Says People Will “Fall in Love” withHocus Pocus 2
Disney+ revealed Tuesday thatHocus Pocus 2— which comes nearly 30 years after the original — became the streaming service’sNo. 1 movie debut domestically to date. This is based on hours streamed in the first three days of its release (it premiered Friday).
Bette Midler,Sarah Jessica Parker,Kathy NajimyandDoug Jonesall returned for the sequel. The cast also includes Richardson, 38, Peak, Escobedo, Buckingham,Tony Hale, Froy Gutierrez andHannah Waddingham.
Last week, Midler, 76, told PEOPLE that the cast and crewknew the story had more to givebeyond the beloved first film — and that they all “wanted to do” another.
“It wasn’t like a crazy, aggressive push,” she continued. “It was just that we felt that it had a life outside of what it had had. And eventually 30 years later, they came to their senses!”
Hocus Pocus 2is now streaming on Disney+.
source: people.com
