Watch Tiffany Haddish And Billy Eichner Cast Their Diverse Remake Of 'Hocus Pocus'
Haddish and Eichner star in 'Wocus Pocus,' a project (hopefully) coming to a theater near you... some day.
Cult classic Hocus Pocus might be getting a sequel, a reboot, a film series, or a book adaptation. No one can say for sure. But Tiffany Haddish and Billy Eichner's diverse take on Hocus Pocus sounds like a movie worth making. Haddish recently joined the comedian on his show, Billy On The Street, to ask unsuspecting New Yorkers about the most important of fake projects: Wokus Pocus.
In the sketch, Eichner and Haddish have plans to resurrect Hocus Pocus, and they're aiming for a "diverse, inclusive" cast for the reboot. Eichner and Haddish intend to play two of the film's three Sanderson Sisters, and with a gay man and a woman of color playing two of the lead witches, they only need one more diverse hire. Will they find this person by running up to them on the streets of New York City?
No spoilers, but they definitely have some options. Once Haddish adapts to Eichner's wild rhythm — this is her first appearance on the show, after all — she absolutely crushes it.
Watch Tiffany Haddish and Billy Eichner cast their inclusive Hocus Pocus remake below:
Of course Eichner called the video a "witch hunt." (Finally, a positive connotation for the phrase.) Viewers will notice that, by the end of it, he drops frantically questioning strangers altogether in favor of a "Make way; a star is coming!" approach. The best part is that Haddish *does* end up encountering a major fan toward the end of the sketch. Both Haddish's reaction — and that of her fan — are beyond precious.
It's not always the case, but most of the folks in this video seem pretty accommodating. Maybe because they went out of their way to find guests who aren't native New Yorkers? In a lot of Eichner's sketches, and especially his earlier ones, people tend to brush by him. Like, even with microphones and lighting and a camera crew and a celebrity sidekick, New Yorkers can't be bothered.
When it comes to Wokus Pocus, though, all bets are off. Can you hug a sketch?
After all of the delightful chats, it was time to get political. Once Haddish's role in the sketch concludes, Eichner brings out Billy On The Street staple, Elena. Eicher and Elena go on to encourage viewers to vote in the upcoming midterms. It's a sobering end to an otherwise absurd clip, but that's just the Eichner way. Did you see the video of him at the airport? He took an invasive TMZ camera moment and used it as an opportunity to explain why people should vote in the upcoming elections.
Also, once you think about it, he *probably* came up with the inclusive Hocus Pocus remake as a riff on Hollywood's endless plans to reboot existing properties. He has a point, and he and Haddish are so good.
Maybe it's time to take Eichner seriously about more things than one.
