This fall, “Hocus Pocus 2” will reunite the cast of the beloved Halloween comedy, including Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy and Doug Jones. One member of the cast who won’t be making his return is Jason Marsden, who voiced the cursed cat Thackery Binx, Entertainment Weekly reported.
When the trailer for the sequel premiered on Tuesday, eagle-eyed fans noticed a black cat that looked similar to Thackery from the first movie. In the 1993 original, Thackery is a teen boy from Salem who was cursed by the Sanderson sisters to take the form of an immortal black cat. After the Sandersons were defeated in the first film, Thackery takes his human form (played by Sean Murray) and reunites with his sister in the afterlife. As of now, it’s unclear whether the character will return voiced by a different actor, or if a different black cat is featured in the film.
On his Instagram story, Marsden shared a shot of the trailer and wrote “looks awesome!” and “that cat better be female,” possibly alluding the black cat being a different character. Marsden’s reps did not respond to a request for comment.
Marsden, a veteran voice actor best known for his role as Max in “A Goofy Movie” and other Disney properties, isn’t the only “Hocus Pocus” cast member who won’t be featured in the sequel. Thora Birch, who played one of the main heroes of the first film, was unable to return to the sequel due to scheduling conflicts, after her character Dani was initially meant to act as a mentor for three modern-day teens fighting the Sandersons.
In addition to the returning stars, “Hocus Pocus 2” is set to feature Hannah Waddingham, Tony Hale, Sam Richardson, Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham and Belissa Escobedo. The film, directed by Anne Fletcher, will hit Disney+ Sept. 30.