Leonardo DiCaprio was considered for the role of Max in Hocus Pocus, but he turned it down to focus on other projects. Director Kenny Ortega thought DiCaprio was amazing, but understood his decision to prioritize other roles.
Leonardo DiCaprio had the chance to play the lead role of Max Dennison in 1993 cult classic fantasy comedy movie Hocus Pocus, but ultimately turned it down.
Who was originally supposed to play Max in Hocus Pocus?
Hocus Pocus director Kenny Ortega tells EW that his casting agents sent the future Titanic and Killers of the Flower Moon superstar actor in to read for the role of Max — which eventually went to Omri Katz — in the 1993 Disney classic, but that his team told him DiCaprio wouldn't be able to take the part.
In the early 90s, a young Leonardo DiCaprio had some sort of audition with Ortega. He was frank about being in the casting process for two other movies: This Boy's Life and What's Eating Gilbert Grape. DiCaprio has said he was offered a large sum to be in Hocus Pocus.
Of all the “Hocus Pocus” stars, Omri Katz is the only one who largely left Hollywood after starring in the film. Today, he runs a cannabis brand, but has noted that he'd be open to returning for future “Hocus Pocus” projects.
Fletcher (via EW) explained that bringing back Max and Allison would have made it hard for Hocus Pocus 2 to stay on track while exploring so many new figures and storylines, with quick cameos also being decided against.
Due to the film focusing on a new batch of teens, Katz and Shaw have not reprised their roles as Max and Allison. EW reported that Katz said via his representative Nery Lemus: "People have been asking, and unfortunately, I'm not in it. I would have loved to be involved.
Leonardo DiCaprio had the chance to play the lead role of Max Dennison in 1993 cult classic fantasy comedy movie Hocus Pocus, but ultimately turned it down.
The iconic actress gave one of the most memorable performances of her career in the cult hit, with thousands of fans still dressing as her Winifred for Halloween every year.
The actor, who plays Max Dennison in the 1993 Halloween movie, admitted to being high while acting, telling Entertainment Weekly, “That was at an age where I started experimenting with cannabis. Let's just say some of those scenes, I was having a good old time. I don't exactly remember which scene.”
Two actors helped bring Thackery Binx's character to life.
In 2017, Marsden told the Daily Beast that producers dubbed his voice over Murray's because the actor sounded "contemporary" and they thought it would be more realistic if Binx had "an affected accent" from the same time period as the witches.
Hocus Pocus fans will not be able to forget about the original movie's bullies, Jay (Tobias Jelinek) and Ernie, aka "Ice" (Larry Bagby). The characters memorably picked on Max before getting their comeuppance by getting locked in a cage, and they are last seen still locked up in a post-credit sequence.
One such choice was made early in the 1990s when DiCaprio decided to turn down what would later become a fan-favourite Disney flick, telling Movieline in a printed interview from 1995 that he didn't think much of 1993's Hocus Pocus when the script was slapped in front of him.
While the Sanderson Sisters are at the heart of Hocus Pocus, the first movie also relied on central characters Max, Dani, and Allison. Unfortunately, the trio did not return in Hocus Pocus 2 after the sequel went in a different direction.
Summary. Thackery Binx, the immortal black cat in Hocus Pocus, was brought to life using a mix of real cats and animatronics, and the same animatronic cat was later reused in Sabrina the Teenage Witch for Salem Saberhagen.
Disney boss Sean Bailey confirmed that Hocus Pocus 3 was in the works in June 2023, following the long-awaited sequel being a hit on the streaming service. Hocus Pocus 2's director, Anne Fletcher, is returning for the new movie, according to TheWrap.
Billy greatly despises Winifred, but he did have a relationship with her when he was alive because they shared one kiss. He put up with it until he is fed up with her obsession and fell in love with her youngest sister Sarah.
CNN reported that the Sanderson sisters are fictional characters. There were not three sisters named Winifred, Sarah and Mary who were executed for practicing witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts.
It is a sequel to the 1993 film Hocus Pocus and the second installment in the Hocus Pocus franchise. The film stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Doug Jones reprising their roles, with Sam Richardson, Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Tony Hale, and Hannah Waddingham joining the cast in new roles.
Despite their dating rumours, Leonardo and Margot never dated in real life. During an interview with Vogue Australia, the Australian actress denied ever dating Leonardo, insisting they are only friends. She stated, We're friends, of course, but those rumours were inevitable - there's no truth to them.
In addition, Murray has appeared in several feature films including Hocus Pocus (1993), his first motion picture film appearance, in which he played Thackery Binx. While this is one of his most well-known roles, his voice in the film was dubbed by Jason Marsden.
The original movie actor explained why he and several other stars did not return for Hocus Pocus 2, citing the sequel's need to simply move onto a new story involving the Sanderson Sisters. In Murray's case, Thackery Binx also died at the end of the first movie.
In fact, the same goes for all the original kids who don't reappear in Hocus Pocus 2. When asked about the potential return of Max, Dani, Allison, and Binx, Fletcher said she decided to avoid it as she couldn't find a way to include them in the story organically. Binx not returning was for the best.
Kenny told Entertainment Weekly: "No, they did not approach me to direct it, which was disappointing, but, of course, in the end, I was very supportive, wanting for Bette, Kathy, and Sarah to have another crack at it. "You let go of things, you surrender, you move on, you don't hold on, you don't have ownership.
