Dang, that took a minute. Halloween is finally returning to Halloweentown. Sounds like a no brainer, huh?
Nearly 20 years after the Disney Channel franchise last took viewers to its magical world, a fifth movie is in early development at Disney Channel and Disney+, according to an exclusive report from The Wrap.
Writers Lily Houghton and Ryan Koehn are developing the screenplay, with the new movie based on characters created by Paul Bernbaum, who wrote the original 1998 film. Details about the story are being kept under wraps, and Disney has not yet announced a release date.
There’s also no word on whether familiar faces will return. Kimberly J. Brown, who played Marnie Piper in the first three movies, remains closely associated with the franchise, but her involvement has not been confirmed. Sara Paxton, who took over the role for 2006’s Return to Halloweentown, is also not confirmed to return.
That casting question could be a big one for fans. Brown’s Marnie discovered her family’s magical heritage in the original Halloweentown, setting off a series of adventures that brought witches, warlocks and other supernatural residents into the Disney Channel lineup. The follow-ups included Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge in 2001 and Halloweentown Highin 2004, before Paxton stepped into the role for the fourth film.
The franchise has remained a Halloween favorite for Disney. According to TheWrap, the four movies have accumulated 160 million hours streamed globally on Disney+, and the original ranked among the platform’s 10 most-watched Halloween movies last October.
Houghton recently wrote the horror comedy Forbidden Fruits, which premiered in theaters earlier this year, and produced Netflix’s upcoming young adult horror series The Body. Koehn was a staff writer on the Gossip Girl reboot and has also worked on the thriller The Mad Whale, the TV movie Homeschooled and the crime drama As Night Comes.
For now, the fifth Halloweentown movie is still in its early stages, so fans will have to wait for news about the plot, casting and when it might arrive. Still, after two decades away from the screen, the prospect of another visit to Halloweentown is a welcome bit of Halloween news.
All four existing Halloweentown movies are available to stream on Disney+.
