Who plays max in hocus pocus

Ernie "Ice" : Ding-ding. Ding-ding.

Jay : Stop and pay the toll, kid.

Ernie "Ice" : Ten chocolate bars, no licorice.

Jay : Dump out your dump sack.

Dani : Drop dead, moron.

Ernie "Ice" : Yo, twerp. How'd you like to be hung off that telephone pole?

Dani : I'd just like to see you try it. Cause it just so happens I've got my big brother with me. Max!

[Jay and Ernie are not impressed by this. Max walks up and takes off the sunglasses] 

Ernie "Ice" : Hollywood!

Jay : Oh, no!

[Some of his friends laughing] 

Jay : So, you're doing a little trick-or-treating? Ding-dong!

Ernie "Ice" : WHOO!

Max : I'm taking my little sister around.

Jay : That's nice.

[sees that he wears a costume] 

Jay : WHOA! I love the costume! What do you suppose to be? A new kid on the block?

Dani : For your information: He's a little leaguer!

Jay : Whoa, I'm a little leaguer!

[He and Ice fake a baseball play. Dani tries to walk by again] 

Ernie "Ice" : Wait a minute, everyone pays the toll.

Dani : Stuff it, zit-face!

Ernie "Ice" : Why, you little...

[He move to hit Dani but Max steps in the way] 

Max : Hey.

[shoves a bag of candy at him] 

Max : Ice, here. Pig out.

[turns to Dani] 

Max : Come on, Dani. Let's go.

[Max and Dani leaves] 

Ernie "Ice" : And Hollywood? The shoes fit great!

[Ice, Jay and his some other friends laughing] 

I smell children! When Hocus Pocus dropped in theaters in 1993, it flopped — but it more than lasted the test of time, becoming a must-watch film every October. Starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson Sisters, the classic follows a high school boy (Omri Katz), his crush (Vinessa Shaw) and his little sister (Thora Birch), who quickly find out the rumor of the witches is true and must find a way to stop them from becoming immortal before Halloween is over.

Although it’s been years since the movie’s release, it has become such a hit that the cast has reunited multiple times over the years at various conventions around the world. Additionally, in 2020, the actresses who portrayed the witches hosted a virtual Halloween special, “In Search of the Sanderson Sisters: A Hocus Pocus Hulaween Takeover,” to benefit the New York Restoration Project. Usually, Midler hosts a large Halloween event in New York City, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, this took the place of that.

In March 2020, it was announced that Adam Shankman was set to direct a sequel film, written by Jen D’Angelo, for Disney+. While Midler, Parker and Najimy weren’t originally attached to the project, the team behind-the-scenes was hopeful they would be part of it. “We’re just talking logistics,” the three-time Grammy winner told Entertainment Tonight in September 2020, saying she was “absolutely” up for the challenge of another movie. “I can’t wait to fly.”

In May, the Sex and the City alum also expressed interest. “I think that it’s something that Bette and Kathy and I are … very hospitable to the idea,” Parker said on Sirius XM’s Quarantined. .“I think for a long time, people were talking about it as if people were moving forward with it in a real way but we were unaware of it. … I think now we’ve gotten to the point where we all, like, agreed publicly to the right people, [saying], ‘Yes! That would be a very, very fun idea.’ So, we’ll see. We’ll see what the future holds.”

Due to scheduling conflicts, the studio had to swap out director Shankman for Anne Fletcher. They kept the same vibes of the Halloween-themed flick in the mix, however, filming on Rhode Island. The city of Lincoln’s Chase Farm park was also turned into a 1670s New England town for shooting.

Moreover, the movie’s first teaser trailer dropped in June 2022, showing the new, young characters who accidentally bring back the child-hungry Sanderson sisters to modern-day Salem.

“Lock up your children,” Midler’s character, Winifred, declares after the Black Flame Candle is lit. “Yes, Salem, we’re back!”

During the May 2022 Disney upfront presentation, it was officially confirmed that Hocus Pocus 2 will premiere on Disney+ on September 30, 2022.

Scroll through the gallery below to see what the original cast is up to today.

Listen to Us Weekly's Hot Hollywood as each week the editors of Us break down the hottest entertainment news stories!

Who plays max in hocus pocus

Who plays max in hocus pocus

The icon continued her acting and singing career after the spooky hit, starring in The First Wives Club and The Stepford Wives. She had a Las Vegas residency, Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On, from 2008 to 2010. The next year, she produced the Broadway production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Midler landed her first-ever leading role on Broadway in 2017 in Hello, Dolly, for which she won a Tony Award. In addition to film and stage appearances, the singer was an adviser on The Voice in 2016 and starred in Netflix's The Politician in 2019. In 2020, she led HBO's Coastal Elites. She has been married to Martin von Haselberg since 1984, and the pair have one daughter, actress Sophie von Haselberg.

Midler celebrated the news of the Hocus Pocus sequel in May 2021. “Sistaaaahs! It’s been 300 years… But we’re BACK! 🧹 #HocusPocus2 arrives Fall 2022 on @DisneyPlus,” the actress wrote via Instagram at the time. The following January, Midler confirmed production was over. “THAT’S A WRAP!!!!” she tweeted alongside a pin of the iconic witches looking at a spell book.

Credit: Shutterstock

Who plays max in hocus pocus

Five years after the spooky flick, Parker landed one of the lead roles in Sex and the City, which aired from 1998 to 2004 and was followed by two films. She starred in multiple other movies, including The Family Stone, Failure to Launch and New Year's Eve. From 2016 to 2019, she led the HBO drama Divorce, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. In 2014, she launched her footwear line, SJP Collection. Parker has been married to Matthew Broderick since 1997 and they have three children.

She reprised her role as Carrie Bradshaw in And Just Like That, a Sex and the City sequel series, which debuted on HBO Max in December 2021.

Parker gave fans a few behind-the-scenes details of the Hocus Pocus 2 production. “Hair and makeup test on HP2. First day,” the Divorce alum wrote via her Instagram Story in November 2021, alongside a video of her character’s face makeup. “Where is Sarah? There’s a piece of Sarah!” she joked while showing off the witch’s long, blonde wig.

The Failure to Launch actress also shared a video of the fall leaves in what appeared to be at the Rhode Island filming location, teasing viewers with what’s to come.

Moreover, during a February 2022 appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Parker confirmed she would be teaming up with costars Midler and Najimy for another musical performance in the new film. "Yes, there will be a number! Of course there will be a number — a number or two," she quipped, adding that shooting the sequel was “amazing and funny.”

Credit: Shutterstock/INSTAR Images

Who plays max in hocus pocus

Najimy continued to act following Hocus Pocus, starring in Rat Race, Veronica's Closet, Dumplin', Veep and voicing Peggy Hill on King of the Hill. She also wrote and performed a play, The Kathy and Mo Show, with Mo Gaffney. Najimy married Dan Finnerty in 1998 and the pair have one daughter.

Credit: Shutterstock

Who plays max in hocus pocus

Katz, who held main roles in Dallas and Eerie, Indiana, before Hocus Pocus, slowed down his acting career after the film. After briefly appearing in a few projects, including The John Larroquette Show, Katz retired from acting in 2002. He is in a relationship with Michele Watters and the pair live in Los Angeles. Katz runs The Mary Danksters, a cannabis company.

Credit: Shutterstock/Courtesy of Vinessa Shaw/Instagram

Who plays max in hocus pocus

The former child star rose to fame following Hocus Pocus, landing roles in Monkey Trouble, Now and Then and Alaska as a child. In 1999, her part in American Beauty landed her a BAFTA nomination. She was later nominated for a Golden Globe in 2001 for her part in Ghost World and an Emmy in 2003 for her role in Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story. She took a break from acting in 2012 but has since returned, landing recurring roles on USA's Colony and AMC's The Walking Dead. In 2018, she married talent manager Michael Adler.

Birch hinted at her Hocus Pocus character Dani’s possible return to the sequel in May 2021, tweeting, “2022 will be ‘Mah-velous!’” She also told HollywoodLife in February 2020 that she would happily come back to the sequel “if they would have me.”

Entertainment Weekly reported in March 2022, however, that Ghost World actress would not be making a cameo despite being offered a chance to come back, pointing to scheduling conflicts as her reason for passing.

Credit: Courtesy of Shutterstock

Who plays max in hocus pocus

After Hocus Pocus, Shaw enrolled in Barnard College but continued acting, starring in Eyes Wide Shut at the same time. She went on to appear in 40 Days and 40 Nights and The Hills Have Eyes. In 2014, she landed a supporting role in Showtime's Ray Donovan. She is married to Kristopher Gifford and the pair have one son.

Shaw spoke with Entertainment Tonight in October 2021 about where she thought her Hocus Pocus character, Allison, and love interest Max would be now, hinting at their possible returns. “I feel like she and Max are still together, but I think Allison’s from Salem and he always wants to be in California,” she told the outlet. “I think they did some sort of compromise and maybe she’s in Salem when the witches come back, you know, visiting her mom or something.” Shaw was not confirmed to be working on the sequel.

Credit: Shutterstock/Courtesy of Vinessa Shaw/Instagram

Who plays max in hocus pocus

After portraying Thackery Binx, Murray continued his acting career, starring in Hart of the West, The Lottery, JAG and Boston Public. In 2003, he landed a recurring role in NCIS, which he still stars on today. In 2005, he married Carrie James. The pair have two children.

Credit: CBS

Who plays max in hocus pocus

The star has made cameos in multiple big-budget TV shows, including Stranger Things, American Woman and This Is Us. In 2020, he joined the cast of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as villain Luke. Jelinek married Irina Costa in 2014.

Credit: Courtesy of Tobias Jelinek/Instagram

Who plays max in hocus pocus

Bagby has starred in numerous films and TV shows since Hocus Pocus, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Saints and Soldiers, Walk the Line and The Young and the Restless. Also a musician, he released his first album in 2005 and an EP in 2007.

Credit: Courtesy of Larry Bagby/Instagram

Who plays max in hocus pocus

Jones went on to star in dozens of films, including Mimic, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth, Crimson Peak and The Shape of Water. On the TV front, he appeared in one of the most famous episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and later landed large parts on Falling Skies and The Strain. Since 2017, he has been a lead on Star Trek: Discovery. He married his childhood love Laurie Pontoni in 1984.

Credit: Shutterstock

Who plays max in hocus pocus

Portraying Emily Binx was Shepherd's only acting role. The former model is now a language channeler and healer.

Credit: Courtesy of Amanda Shepherd/Instagram