Hocus Pocus Star Hopes to Return to the Series in an Unexpected Way

When reports of a new Hocus Pocus started to develop, audiences wondered if any of the original stars would be returning for the project, and while the Sanderson sisters are returning to torment Salem once again, Thora Birch had scheduling conflicts that prevented her from taking part in the adventure. While she and her fans are disappointed she won’t be in the sequel, she recently revealed that she’d be more interested in returning to the franchise as a witch as opposed to reprising her role of Dani. Audiences can enjoy Birch’s new podcast series Overleaper.

“Everybody tried so hard. Everybody tried so hard to make that happen and it just didn’t, but everybody tried so hard,” Birch shared with ComicBook.com about a franchise return. “That was everybody’s intention. But you know what? At the end of the day, just between you and I, I’d probably rather play Winifred in the future. I’d probably rather play Winnie.”

In the original film, Dani was one of three young characters who accidentally brought the villainous Sanderson sisters back to life to torment modern-day Salem. The sisters, played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, have once again been revived in the upcoming sequel to torment a new group of unsuspecting teens.

Overleaper centers on Special Forces Staff Sergeant Audrey Beach (Birch), a determined career soldier, rising through the ranks to the cream of the military crop. She doesn’t have much else in life besides her daughter Lydia, who lives with her ex-husband after a difficult divorce. But Audrey’s training could never prepare her for a top-secret mission in Afghanistan’s Herat Province, where she faces the impossible: her own doppelgänger from another universe locking her up and leaving her to die…and taking Audrey’s place in the process.

The Overleaper is Audrey, but in her timeline, she has suffered far worse pain. Her daughter Lydia is dead- murdered in a tragic military mishap- and her quest for revenge led her to sacrifice her loyalty to the United States. A dangerous country in her dimension aided the her vengeful mission, for a price: replace the Audrey Beach in our world and assassinate the President, no matter the personal price. With nothing left to live for, the Overleaper agrees. To defend the nation and protect her good name, the real Audrey must escape Afghanistan and traverse the globe, evading US authorities and international spies in order to thwart the Overleaper’s plan. 

The first episode of Overleaper is available now wherever you get your podcasts. Hocus Pocus 2 is set to debut on Disney+ later this year.

Would you like to see Birch return to the series? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!