Sanderson Sisters Set To Return To Salem With New Director

SALEM, MA —The Sanderson Sisters will apparently have a little new direction as they return to Salem to run "amok, amok, amok" in the long-awaited sequel to Halloween cult classic "Hocus Pocus."

Anne Fletcher, who directed "Step Up" in 2006, has been tabbed to replace Adam Shankman, who stepped down because of a schedule conflict with shooting the upcoming "Disenchanted" project. "Hocus Pocus 2" is scheduled to begin filming later this summer, though there is no word if the Sanderson sisters themselves will be touching down in Salem anytime soon.

The film is set for a 2022 release, according to Disinder.com.

The legend of "Hocus Pocus" has grown considerably among those of a certain nostalgia-filled age group in recent years after it was originally disappointing at the box office. But the movie set in Salem has become a must-watch each spooky season for many in their 20s and 30s in recent years.

This past Halloween season — as city officials implored visitors to stay away from Salem amid the threat of a coronavirus surge — the sight of the original "Max and Dani" home where the Sanderson Sisters were "reawakened" became such a drive-by attraction that neighborhood residents had to request privacy from onlookers fascinated with the scene of such cinematic lore.

The North Shore has been a busy center of movie-making of late with scenes from Disney's "Godmother" filmed in Marblehead, starring Isla Fisher, last year, and George Clooney setting his "The Tender Bar" in the fictional "Dickens Bar" in downtown Beverly in recent weeks.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

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