This is NOT a drill! A fifth installment in one of our all-time favorite Disney Channel film series is officially in the works after 20 years!

©Disney

That’s right, Disney has confirmed that a fifth Halloweentown film is in development, and if greenlit, it will air on the Disney Channel and stream on Disney+, according to Variety.

The new film is being written by Lily Houghton and Ryan Koehn, the former of whom wrote the 2026 comedic horror film Forbidden Fruits, while the latter was a writer on HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot, which ran for two seasons from 2021 to 2023. No casting has been confirmed, though over the years, multiple cast members from the original movies have expressed interest in reprising their roles if a sequel were to be made. In addition, Billie Lourd — the granddaughter of original series Debbie Reynolds — has also expressed interest in appearing in the franchise.

©D23

The first Halloweentown film premiered on the Disney Channel in 1998 and starred Debbie Reynolds, Kimberly J. Brown, Joey Zimmerman, and Judith Hoag. The film has become a Halloween season staple for generations of viewers, especially millennials (GUILTY!), during spooky season. The original was followed by three sequels over the next eight years: Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge in 2001, Halloweentown High in 2004, and Return to Halloweentown in 2006.

©Disney || Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge

The news of a fifth Halloweentown was met mostly with excitement on social media, with many excited at the prospect…

Calling it now. The plot will be about Marnie as an adult having become bored/busy with life, so much she doesn’t visit Halloweentown ever and the “magic” in her life has gone. Figurative and literal.
It’ll be a commentary on how Halloween has has changed in the modern day. https://t.co/KLiLueUWsz

— O.R.Ash (@ORAsh3r) October 22, 2026

…and wondering how the film would handle issues including the death of Debbie Reynolds or the fact that Marnie was played by two different actresses, Kimberly J. Brown in the first three films and Sara Paxton in the fourth. (As one of our team members put it: “OG Marnie or we riot!”

Disney+ officially announcing Halloweentown 5 means we are one press release away from finding out if they’re casting Kimberly J. Brown or Sara Paxton

Unless Disney has the courage to pull off a Multiverse storyline where both Marnie Pipers meet at the giant pumpkin bus stop,…

— Obaino (@iamdpassword) October 22, 2026

That said, some commenters were cautious about revisiting the property after two decades…

I’m so excited for a potential Halloweentown but I just hope it doesn’t feel like too much like a Disney Plus original that will fizzle out with each rewatch

— javi (@1610SPlDEY) October 22, 2026

…while others were downright against the idea. 

as someone who literally watches Halloweentown every single year, no. just no. there is no Halloweentown without Debbie Reynolds. what are we doing?! https://t.co/shHZNbKtmE

— taylor (@lilredinmotion) October 22, 2026

A fifth installment in the beloved Halloweentown franchise is currently in development at Disney, and if made, would be the first sequel in over 20 years. Stay tuned to DFB for further updates on this potential project.

Speaking of Halloween, don’t go to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party without checking out our thoughts!

A New Disney x Halloween Loungefly Collection Quietly Released on Amazon

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Would you be excited for a Halloweentown 5? Let us know in the comments below!