Disney may have lured Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker back to Salem for a made-for-TV sequel to the millennial classic Hocus Pocus, but not everyone is making a return. While other supernatural characters from the original will join the Sanderson sisters, Thackery, the talking black cat that seemingly served as a trial run for Sabrina The Teenage Witch’s Salem, won’t be one of them.
Jason Marsden, the actor who voiced Thackery in the 1993 original, implied on Instagram Stories that he would not be in the new film. “Looks awesome!” Marsden captioned a shot from the trailer on Stories. “That cat better be female.”
Marsden is no slouch. A veteran voice actor, you’ve heard his dulcet tones playing Kid Flash on Young Justice and, of course, sexuality wake-up artist Max from A Goofy Movie. He also played Eric Matthew’s best friend on the first two seasons of Boy Meets World, playing the curiously named character Jason Marsden.
To be clear, there is a black cat in the teaser. How could a movie about three broomstick-riding witches be complete without one? However, it’s unclear if this cat speaks or not. The cat certainly has a tongue, as evidenced by the screenshot above, and it would be strange for Disney to pass up the opportunity to include a talking animal in any movie. Heck, the only thing people seem to like about Lightyear is the talking cat. Lesson learned, have talking cats in unnecessary sequels.
Thus far, only the three lead witches and Doug Jones, who played the Robert Smith-inspired zombie Billy Butcherson, will be returning for the sequel. Variety reports that a part was written for Thora Birch, who starred as Dani in the original film, but due to scheduling conflicts, the return did not materialize.
Hocus Pocus 2 comes to televisions and mobile devices (but not theaters) on September 30.