Bette Midler has spoken of her fondness for the Hocus Pocus movies, confirming that a third film is in development.

The comedy horror - released in 1993 - follows a trio of witch sisters from the 1690s who are inadvertently resurrected in the present day and cause havoc in a small town.

Almost 30 years later, in 2022, a sequel movie dropped on Disney+, with Midler reprising her role as the head witch - and within days it became the platform's most-watched original film ever.

"They're kind of talking about a third, very gingerly and very gently. They are," Midler told The Jess Cagle Show. "They're talking about a third. The second one was a huge success."

Talking about her character Winifred, she added: "She is the closest thing I will ever get to Shakespeare. She's from the era, from the time of Shakespeare.

"She really does put it on, and yet she has all the great things you love in a great villain.

"She's vicious, she's hilarious, she's ridiculous-looking, and she doesn't know any of that. It goes completely over her head."

The script for Hocus Pocus 3 is currently being developed by Jen D'Angelo, with the most likely release date now expected to be Halloween 2025.