OOPS! Doug Jones Tweets First Pic as Billy Butcherson in ‘Hocus Pocus 2,’ Then Deletes It
Actor Doug Jones has apparently incurred the wrath of Disney, after he deleted a tweet featuring a sneak peek at his character from Hocus Pocus 2.
Fans of the original 1993 film were excited to learn last fall that production had begun on the long-awaited sequel, and that Jones would be reprising his role as Billy Butcherson. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy are all returning as the Sanderson Sisters. Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”), Sam Richardson (“Veep”), and Tony Hale (“Arrested Development”) join the cast for the sequel.
Anne Fletcher will direct the film, which will debut on Disney+ for the Halloween 2022 holiday.
In the new film, three young women accidentally bring back the wicked Sanderson sisters, and the child-hungry witches once again seek to wreak havoc on the world.
Jones played Billy Butcherson in the original film, and as the film gained a cult following in subsequent years, the fandom for Billy grew as well. Jones has gone on to play a number of iconic characters under heavy makeup, earning a reputation as a modern-day Lon Chaney. His other notable creature characters include Abe Sapien in Hellboy, The Pale Man in Pan’s Labyrinth, and Saru on “Star Trek: Discovery.”
On Tuesday, Jones tweeted that filming on the sequel had completed, and celebrated by including a photo of himself, in the Billy Butcherson makeup. It was the first time he had been seen in makeup for the film.
It appears the photo did not go over well with Disney executives, as the tweet disappeared a short time later. However, we managed to get a screenshot:
As you can see, the new Billy is nearly identical to the Billy we saw in the original film, which fans will be happy to see.
Given Disney’s strict policy against posting secrets or spoilers about upcoming films, it’s not surprising Jones deleted the tweet. He has yet to address why he took it down.
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