A new video from the set of Disney's Hocus Pocus 2 teases a first look at the return of Billy Butcherson, played by Doug Jones. As diehard fans of Hocus Pocus will know, Billy is a zombie-like character resurrected by Winifred Sanderson (Bette Midler) to do her bidding. The original film follows Winifred and her sisters, Mary (Kathy Najimy) and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker), who are witches hellbent on living forever. Though the movie didn't initially conjure box office success, it's grown into a cult classic over the decades. Disney officially greenlit a followup film in 2020, with production starting in the Fall of 2021.
Hocus Pocus 2 is set to premiere on Disney+ sometime in late 2022, and it will be directed by Anne Fletcher (The Proposal). The spooky film sees the return of the original Sanderson trio, alongside a fresh cast featuring VEEP's Sam Richardson and Tony Hale, Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) and Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl). Jones was also recently announced to have boarded the sequel, sending fans into overdrive. As the Hocus Pocus 2 production shoots on Rhode Island, eagle-eye onlookers have been capturing unofficial sneak peeks at the highly anticipated project.
TikTok user @sandiri800 shared a first glimpse at Jones back in his full Billy Butcherson garb on set. Jones stood amongst the buzzing crew and sharp tombstones during a night shoot for an eery scene at a local graveyard. Check out the spooktacular clip below shared on Twitter by Sandi below:
While the footage is blurry, it's unmistakably Billy standing in his colonial costume. He seems to be going over blocking with a masked crew member as they prepare to film. Billy is no stranger to the graveyard, in fact, that's where he was brought back to life in the original Hocus Pocus. As legend has it, his character's backstory is much deeper than what's touched on in the film. Back in the 16th Century, when Billy was alive, he dated Winifred Sanderson. Unfortunately for him, she found out he was smitten with her younger sister Sarah. Winnie sought her revenge in poison, then sewing Billy's mouth shut so even in death he couldn't tell her secrets.
Hocus Pocus 2 boasts flashbacks that dive into the origins of the Sanderson sisters, so it's not a stretch to think that audiences could learn more about Billy, too. It will be interesting to see how the forthcoming film handles his resurrection. In the first movie, he ended up selling out the baddies to help the heroes Max, Dani, and Allison. So when he comes back, the Sanderson sisters will most likely have several bones to pick with him. Good thing he's already dead.
Source: @sandiri800