Fans Will Be Able To Catch Up With Max From 'Hocus Pocus' Very, Very Soon

More than 25 years after its release in 1993, Hocus Pocus remains one of the most beloved Halloween movies to ever grace the big screen. And while fans of the comedy horror may have kept tabs on the whereabouts of some of the film's more popular stars, it may be worth exploring where Max from Hocus Pocus is now – since he's been off the acting grid for some time now. The character, which was played by actor Omri Katz, was responsible for inadvertently resurrecting a trio of witches, better known as the Sanderson sisters, after lighting a black flame candle on Hallows Eve.

Katz, who is now 42-years-old, recently reunited with his Hocus Pocus cast in celebration of the cult classic's 25th anniversary, according to Cosmopolitan. The mag noted that in addition to Katz, Kathy Najimy (Mary Sanderson), Thora Birch (Dani Dennison), Vinessa Shaw (Allison), Tobias Jelinek (Jay), and Larry Bagby (Ice) were all on hand for the event. During the gathering they filmed a Halloween TV special at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, hosted by Vanessa Hudgens, which will air on Oct. 20 on Freeform. While the reunion is certainly a special moment for '90s fans, Cosmo shared that neither Bette Midler, who played Winnie Sanderson, nor Sarah Jessica Parker, who was the film's Sarah Sanderson, were in sight for the reunion. Shaw, who played Max's love interest in the film, shared a few behind the scenes pics from the special on Instagram, including the photo below with Birch and Katz.

Although his portrayal of Max Dennison in Hocus Pocus, which was released when he was only 17-years-old, remains Katz's most well-known role, his career continued with guest appearances on shows such as Freaks and Geeks, The John Larroquette Show, and General Hospital, according to The Hollywood Reporter. However, his on screen work appears to have slowed down recently, with last acting credit being the 2002 short film Journey Into Night. Katz's IMdB profile claims that he is a hairdresser and notes that he now splits his time between Los Angeles and Israel.

Though Hocus Pocus' 25 year milestone is certainly worth a big celebration, the reunion wasn't the first time that the gang has gotten back together. Back in 2015, Katz reunited with costar and on-screen sister, Birch, as well as Shaw, who played his love interest in the film, to celebrate Halloween. Shaw later posted a photo of the trio on Instagram, melting the hearts of Hocus Pocus fans everywhere.

For years, there has been chatter about a possible Hocus Pocus reboot, with the latest update revealing that the film would arrive as a Disney made for TV movie which will feature entirely new ensemble. That said, it is currently unknown if any of the original film's cast will have cameos or be involved in any capacity. And it's also unclear why the film production decided to change direction with casting movie's original stars, seeing that most have been totally onboard for a sequel of the comedy-horror movie for years.

Even Parker expressed interest in revisiting Hocus Pocus during a 2016 episode of Watch What Happens Live, telling host Andy Cohen, saying, “I would love that ... I think we’ve all been fairly vocal about being very keen, but that hasn’t created any ground swell of movement.”

Meanwhile Midler once said that she had a hard time understanding why it had taken so long to come up with a reboot. “You don’t get to see women doing slapstick too much, and in the movie you can see that we’re having a blast," she explained to Billboard in 2016. "For the life of me, I can’t understand why there’s not a sequel.”

However, after learning of the plan to turn the sequel into a TV movie, Midler had a major change of heart and called the idea "cheap." In Oct. 2017, she told People, “I know it’s cheap. It’s going to be cheap!” The award-winning actor also indicated that it's going to be tough to find a replacement to play the role of Winnie.

Speaking to People, Midler explained:

“I’m not sure what they’re going to do with my character. My character is very, very broad and I don’t know who they’re going to find to play that.”

Since its release in the early '90s, Hocus Pocus has become a cult favorite for many and has been annually rebroadcasted on several networks, particularly during the Halloween season. Freeform's Hocus Pocus 25th Anniversary Halloween Bash airs on Saturday, October 20, and is certainly going to be a must see for those who want to make a trip down memory lane and relive the glory of the Sanderson sisters, Max Dennison and their Halloween hijinks.