Hocus Pocus 2 Reportedly Won't Include Original Thackery Binx Actor

Hocus Pocus 2 will reportedly not include original Thackery Binx voice actor Jason Marsden, despite a black cat featuring in the sequel's trailer.

Hocus Pocus 2 Reportedly Won't Include Original Thackery Binx Actor

Hocus Pocus 2 will reportedly not include original Binx voice actor, Jason Marsden. The original Hocus Pocus released in 1993, becoming an instant Halloween classic that is still beloved today. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy star as the Sanderson Sisters, witches who return from the dead to wreak havoc on the town of Salem after the young Max (Omri Katz), his sister Dani (Thora Birch), and their neighbor Allison (Vinessa Shaw) accidentally bring them back from the dead. In their attempt to stop the witches from murdering modern-day Salem’s children, Max, Dani and Allison team up with a talking cat named Thackery Binx (Marsden). Binx is ultimately revealed to be a boy trapped in animal form by the Sanderson Sisters, played in his human iteration by Sean Murray.

Last year, Hocus Pocus 2 officially began its production, and the sequel will premiere on Disney+ on September 30, 2022 just in time for Halloween. Midler, Parker, and Najimy return in Hocus Pocus 2 as Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson, along with several new characters. However, the recent Hocus Pocus 2 trailer also featured a black cat of its own, leading many to wonder whether Thackery Binx could also return alongside the witches, with Marsden bringing his voice to the character once again.

Now, it’s apparent that the black cat featured in the trailer is not the original film’s heroic Binx. According to EW, Marsden will not reprise his role as the voice of Thackery in Hocus Pocus 2. At this time, it’s unknown if the feline featured in the Hocus Pocus 2 trailer is a new victim of the Sanderson Sisters’ curse, or just a regular black cat.

Given that Thackery is freed from his curse and returned to his human form by the end of the original Hocus Pocus, his return as a cat in Hocus Pocus 2 certainly seemed unlikely, so this update about Mardsen is unsurprising. However, there is one other major legacy character expected to come back in the highly-anticipated sequel. Hocus Pocus 2 will see the return of the beloved Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones), Winnie’s ex-lover and a revived zombie in the original film. Aside from these confirmed returns, new characters include Becca (Whitney Peak), Cassie (Lilia Buckingham), and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) as the three teenagers who light the Black Flame Candle and bring the Sandersons back. Sam Richardson plays Gilbert, the owner of the Salem Magic Shoppe.

While the black cat featured in the Hocus Pocus 2 trailer is very unlikely to be Binx given Marsden isn’t involved, the teaser highlights that a black cat that could be important to the sequel’s plot. Indeed, the black cat not speaking in the Hocus Pocus 2 trailer has stirred up speculations about the mysterious character, Binx-related and otherwise. Whether or not Hocus Pocus 2‘s new heroes will have their very own feline friend to help them combat the Sanderson Sisters’ evil remains to be seen, but all will be revealed when the film releases this Halloween season.