Twenty years after the Cromwell family last opened the portal, Halloweentown is stirring again.
On Thursday, October 22, 2026, TheWrap reported that a fifth Halloweentown film is in early development for Disney Channel and Disney+, with PEOPLE confirming the news the same day. The timing could hardly be better: the announcement landed just two days after the 20th anniversary of Return to Halloweentown, which premiered on October 20, 2006.
One important note up front, because this archive deals in what’s actually confirmed: this is early development. A script is being written. The film has not been officially greenlit, and there is no confirmed cast, plot, or release date yet.
What we know
- Writers Lily Houghton and Ryan Koehn are developing the script, based on characters created by Paul Bernbaum, who wrote the 1998 original.
- The film is being developed for Disney Channel and Disney+.
- Plot details are under wraps.
- No casting announcements have been made.
Why now?
Halloweentown never really left. According to Disney figures reported by TheWrap, the franchise has been streamed for an estimated 160 million hours globally on Disney+ to date, and the original film ranked among the top 10 most-watched Halloween movies in October 2025 — twenty-seven years after it premiered.
The original series also grew with every installment. By its fourth film, Halloweentown was one of Disney Channel’s biggest movie franchises:
| Film | Premiere | Premiere viewers |
|---|---|---|
| Halloweentown | October 17, 1998 | 3.38 million |
| Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge | October 12, 2001 | 6.09 million |
| Halloweentown High | October 8, 2004 | 6.14 million |
| Return to Halloweentown | October 20, 2006 | 7.53 million |
Return to Halloweentown was the fourth-highest-rated Disney Channel Original Movie at the time it aired.
The Marnie question
Every fan conversation about a fifth film starts in the same place: who plays Marnie?
Kimberly J. Brown originated the role and played Marnie in the first three films. When Return to Halloweentown arrived in 2006, Sara Paxton took over the role — a recasting that has been debated by fans for twenty years. Neither actress is confirmed for the new film, and any claim otherwise is speculation.
There is also an absence no sequel can fix. Debbie Reynolds, who played Aggie Cromwell, died on December 28, 2016. Earlier this month at PaleyFest NY, her granddaughter Billie Lourd — who grew up obsessed with the films — said she would love to be involved, including in a prequel or as Aggie: “I’m available. I’m so available… Sign me up.” To be clear, those were comments about her own interest made before this announcement, not casting news. But as a piece of fan discussion, it’s a fitting one: the franchise has always been about what gets passed down through the Cromwell family.
Producer Sheri Singer first floated the possibility of another sequel back in 2017. Nearly a decade later, it’s a script in active development.
What happens next
DC Fans Archive will track this project as it develops — greenlight, casting, production, and release — separating what’s confirmed from what’s rumored at every step.
If only one original cast member could return, who has to be there? Tell us in the comments, and follow along — it’s been twenty years, but it looks like the portal may be opening again.
Sources: TheWrap (first report, Oct 22, 2026); PEOPLE, “Halloweentown 5 Officially in the Works at Disney” (Oct 22, 2026); MovieWeb and CBR coverage of the announcement and franchise ratings history.