Hocus Pocus 2 Director Teases Honoring Binx in a "Fun" Way

By Patrick Cavanaugh

The first teaser for the upcoming Hocus Pocus 2 featured an adorable black cat, leading some fans to think the spirit of Thackery Binx could be returning in feline form, and while it has since been confirmed that Binx is largely absent from the adventure, director Anne Fletcher recently confirmed that the character will still be addressed in a "fun" way. While the sequel has revived the Sanderson sisters as well as the zombified Billy Butcherson, the sequel seems to be shifting focus to a new generation of characters, with the heroes of the original film confirmed to be absent from the new film. Hocus Pocus 2 premieres on Disney+ on September 30th.

"Billy and Binx, I wanted back," Fletcher shared with Entertainment Weekly. "We're having some fun with him, so, we'll see."

The director also claimed that Binx was "the heart, for sure" of the original movie, with the sequel introducing a new black cat named Cobweb.

In the original film, the Sanderson sisters drain the life force of Emily Binx back in the 1600s, with Thackery attempting to intervene to save his sister, only for the witchy trio to transport his lifeforce into the body of a black cat. When a group of friends lights the Black Flame Candle in 1993, the Sanderson sisters come back from the dead to torment modern-day Salem, with Binx the cat appearing to offer them assistance in thwarting the sisters for good.

While a new black cat serves as a spiritual tribute to Binx, don't expect the figure to fully replicate Binx's role, as Fletcher confirmed that Cobweb won't be communicating with any of the characters.

With the sequel omitting Binx, it also won't be focusing on the heroes of the first film -- Max (Omri Katz), Dani (Thora Birch), and Allison (Vinessa Shaw) -- as Fletcher detailed the challenges of telling a new story that also honors its predecessor yet without diminishing the effectiveness of that adventure.

"We wanted to weave in all of the people that the fans loved, and when you sat back with all the ingredients and story, you're like, how do we make this work?" Fletcher detailed to the outlet. "It was very difficult to try to have them be a part of it, because we did talk about it — painstakingly. You're trying to stay on track with story, even if they came in as a cameo."

Fletcher added, "People would say, 'They could be in the background!' and I'm like, really? You're going to put the leads of the first movie in the background and be satisfied? You're not going to be satisfied, you're going to be angry."

Hocus Pocus 2 hits Disney+ on September 30th.

Are you looking forward to the new sequel? 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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