Disney Brings Halloweentown Back After Two Decades

Remember the first time Marnie Piper declared that Halloween was, well, cool? That line lodged itself in a generation’s memory and now, nearly three decades later, Disney is stirring the cauldron again.

Disney is developing a fifth Halloweentown film for Disney+ with a screenplay by Lily Hatton and Ryan Cohen. TheWrap reported the project is in early development, and that the new screenplay will draw on the characters created by Paul Bernbaum, who penned the original 1998 film. Names attached to the script include Lily Hatton — who wrote the 2026 horror-comedy Forbidden Fruits starring Lili Reinhart and Lola Tung — and Ryan Cohen, whose résumé includes work on the rebooted Gossip Girl series.

Plot details remain under wraps. Will the story pick up where the last entry left off? Will the filmmakers lean into nostalgia or introduce a fresh coven of characters? Nobody outside the studio knows yet. What we do know is that Halloweentown’s world still registers with audiences: across Disney+, the four existing films have amassed over 160 million hours viewed worldwide, and the original 1998 movie resurfaced among the top Halloween titles in October 2025.

Casting is another open question. Kimberly J. Brown and Sara Paxton both made the role of Marnie their own at different points in the franchise. Brown originated the part in 1998 as a 13-year-old discovering her witching lineage, then returned for Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge (2001) and Halloweentown High (2004). Paxton stepped into the role for Return to Halloweentown (2006), which followed an 18-year-old Marnie as she and her younger brother Dylan — played by Joey Zimmerman — navigated life at a university for the magically inclined.

Off-screen stories have woven into the franchise’s lore, too. Brown met her Halloweentown II co-star Daniel Kountz on set; the two later married in 2024. And fans have long asked why Brown didn’t return for the 2006 film. In a 2018 YouTube video she said she had been prepared to come back, but Disney ultimately chose a different direction and cast another actress — a short, candid explanation that left some viewers wanting more.

Reviving Halloweentown fits a clear pattern at the studio: mining beloved IP for projects that tap nostalgia while courting new subscribers. That strategy often pairs familiar faces with contemporary creative teams; sometimes it brings original actors back, sometimes it forges an entirely new path. Either route can surprise us.

So what now? Keep an eye on official announcements, and maybe... keep your broomstick polished. The next chapter of Halloweentown could be a comforting trip down memory lane, or a bold new spell — and both possibilities feel worth watching.