Omri Katz Says OG ‘Hocus Pocus’ Stars ‘Weren’t Invited’ to Sequel

Original Hocus Pocus actor Omri Katz claimed that the OG cast “weren’t invited” to take part in the Hocus Pocus 2 sequel.

On Saturday (Mar. 18), 90’s Con took place in Hartford, Conn. Original cast members Thora Birch (Dani Dennison), Vinessa Shaw (Allison), Jason Marsden (Thackery Binx cat version) and Omri Katz (Max Dennison) reunited for a panel to speak about the iconic 1993 film.

During the Q&A portion, a fan questioned the cast why their characters didn’t appear in the 2022 sequel.

“We weren’t invited to that meeting. So we don’t really know why we weren’t invited,” Katz revealed per People. “I think the fan base really wanted to see something with us… I don’t know. It’s hard to really figure out the decisions that are made regarding what they want to do.”

Birch added that “the process in No. 2 being brought about was so long. She did confirm that bringing their beloved characters back “was something that was discussed.”

“The desire [and] the concept of maybe doing [a seque] was about 10 years. But then there were numbers of different writers that came on board and different directors, and so the story and the concept and the direction in which they wanted to take, too, kept evolving and changing and growing,” she said.

“I do know that there were, along the way, some concepts and some ideas about ways to bring us back. And for whatever reason, it just didn’t work,” she continued. “Some of us were going to be on, some of us weren’t. And then it just was such a roller coaster ride.”

Birch noted that what they “like to say in the business: we had scheduling conflicts,” which is what she previously told media outlets and fans when the sequel premiered without her in it.

Marsden admitted that he has been in the entertainment industry “long enough to not get your hopes up about anything, really.”

“I did speak with Mr. David Kirschner, [Hocus Pocus creator and producer]. He said he did try to fight to get you three especially,” he added. “But there’s a committee. It’s a team. It’s an IP now — intellectual property. It’s close to your hearts, but it belongs to a committee now. And so it’s left up to them to make the right decisions.”

Some of the original cast returned for the Disney+ sequel including Bette Midler (Winifred Sanderson), Sarah Jessica Parker (Sarah Sanderson), Kathy Najimy (Mary Sanderson) and Doug Jones (Billy Butcherson).