Hocus Pocus 2 Writer Confirms Max and Bullies Jay and Ice Nearly Had Cameos

Three characters from the original movie nearly made a comeback.

By Patrick Cavanaugh

In last year's Hocus Pocus 2, the trio of the Sanderson sisters from the original Hocus Pocus made returns, though the film otherwise focused on all-new characters. Writer of the sequel Jen D'Angelo recently revealed that one version of the story featured scenes in which Max, one of the main teens from the first movie, would have had an on-screen reunion with the witchy sisters, and that Jay and Ice, the bullies who tormented Max, also would have shown up in the sequel. With D'Angelo attached to develop a third entry into the series, it's still possible that more characters from the 1993 movie could appear.

"There was a version where Max (Omri Katz) had a cameo," D'Angelo revealed to Entertainment Weekly. "We love these characters so much and they're so iconic that if we do see them, we want them to really have a reason for being in the story, not just to be able to see them and check it off the list." 

That script featured Max's return "very briefly" and he would have been "able to have one quick moment with the Sanderson Sisters." D'Angelo said it was "a very tough decision" to cut the cameo. The writer went on to express her disappointment at cutting a scene featuring cameos with Jay (Tobias Jelinek) and Ice (Larry Bagby).

"There was also a version where Jay and Ice came back, because I have such a soft spot for them. I find them very emotional also. Even though they're these cartoonish bullies, they're sweet. They get a real punishment at the end: they're locked in the cages for how long? They've been humbled," D'Angelo detailed. "One of the jokes that naturally had to fall out that I was so sad to lose was that Ice and Jay were handing out candy, and they saw the Sanderson Sisters fly past. You think they're going to jump in and save the day, but they immediately run and hide because they're cowards."

Alongside Katz, the original film also starred Vinessa Shaw and Thora Birch. Of all the original teens, Birch came quite close to appearing in Hocus Pocus 2, though scheduling conflicts ultimately prevented her return.

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Stay tuned for details on the future of the Hocus Pocus franchise.

Do you hope these original stars return in the future? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

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