Halloweentown 5 in development at Disney with new writers attached
A fifth Halloweentown film is in early development at Disney Channel and Disney+, with Lily Houghton and Ryan Koehn writing the screenplay. TheWrap reported the project on October 22, 2026, with People independently confirming its development. The story will use characters created by Paul Bernbaum, who wrote the original film.
The project would return to the franchise 20 years after Return to Halloweentown. Casting remains unconfirmed, including whether Kimberly J. Brown or Sara Paxton will play Marnie Piper. Brown has publicly expressed interest in returning, but that does not establish her involvement in the new film.
The original Halloweentown, released in 1998, introduced Marnie as a teenager discovering her family’s witch heritage. Brown played her across the first three films, alongside Debbie Reynolds as her grandmother, Aggie Cromwell. Paxton took over the role in the fourth installment, released in 2006.
Houghton’s credits include the screenplay for Forbidden Fruits, while Koehn wrote for the Gossip Girl reboot. Their appointment establishes the writing team, but plot details, a director, filming dates and a release schedule have not been announced.
