“Hocus Pocus 2” has arrived, and once again, the Sanderson Sisters have returned from the dead. Unfortunately, though, none of the kids from the original film made their own return. But Thora Birch definitely had an idea for what her story arc could’ve been if she had been able to.
Of course, Birch was set to be in “Hocus Pocus 2,” at first. The actress was ready to reprise her role as Dani Dennison, the youngest of the three children from the original film, especially after she got an idea of what the sequel would be. In the end, scheduling conflicts made it so that she wouldn’t be able to take on the project, as she’d be on location shooting another.
Speaking to TheWrap earlier this month about the life and legacy of the original “Hocus Pocus,” the actress noted that she “really did” want to be a part of it — and clued us in as to what she had hoped for in terms of Dani’s life.
“There were there about two or three different versions of Dani. My ideal one was to have her running the museum of the house, to kind of like keep a watch, making sure that you know, it doesn’t happen again or whatever,” Birch told TheWrap. “And then she could like, guide whoever brings it back. But that was just my thought. There were a couple of other ideas… there were several options and they all would have worked.”
Granted, when rumblings of a “Hocus Pocus 2” first reached Birch and her cast roughly a decade ago, she was skeptical.
“The fans’ demand for it kind of really is what got me interested in the idea of like, ‘OK, well, if it were going to be happening, what would that look like?’ And I was a longtime supporter. Once I came to that conclusion that the fans really wanted it, you can’t deny the fans. Keep the franchise going, right? Why not? So then I was like, ‘OK, whatever they come up with, I’ll see. I’ll wait and see what they come up with.’”
She continued, “And then I really did [want to be part of it], because they did, they came up with a good story and a premise and they contemporized, and shifted it, and I think it’s taking like a little bit of a different direction. But it’s got all the old stuff at it too. And yeah, just to see the witches back together like, uh, hello, of course everyone wants to see that!”
And though she didn’t end up in the film, Birch noted that she’d be “happily watching it.”
“Hocus Pocus 2” is now streaming on Disney+.
