Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are in talks for Practical Magic 2
Throw split salt over your left shoulder, keep rosemary by your garden gate, and plant lavender for luck because the Owens sisters are back! Warner Bros announced this week that a sequel to 1998’s best spooky melodrama Practical Magic is in the works. They’re currently “in talks” with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman to reprise their roles as Sally and Gillian, the sister witches with a family curse that kills any man that a woman in their family loves. Practical Magical is based on a book by Alice Hoffman, which is part of a four-part series with two prequels and one sequel, 2021’s “The Book of Magic.” There’s no word on whether or not the movie sequel will be based on “The Book of Magic” or a completely different storyline.
After 26 years the Owens women are returning. Warner Bros. announced a followup film to the 1998 classic, “Practical Magic,” with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman in talks to return.
The first movie starred Bullock and Kidman as the witchy Owens sisters, who get wrapped in supernatural coverup after Bullock (unintentionally) drugs and kills Kidman’s abusive ex-boyfriend (Goran Višnjić) forcing them to reanimate his corpse. Directed by Griffin Dunne and adapted from the 1995 novel of the same name by Alice Hoffman, the original film stands as a beloved, spooky season staple for people who are really into crystals.
Akiva Goldsman will write the screenplay for the new movie, with Bullock and Kidman expected to produce alongside Denise Di Novi.
Fans began buzzing about the future of “Practical Magic” on Sunday, when an announcement was made at midnight on TikTok — a nod to the “midnight margaritas” scene from the first film — that the film was now available on digital and available to stream on Max. But the big news was saved for Monday morning, where it was revealed that “Practical Magic 2” was officially in the works.
Back in 2019, HBO Max was pursuing a “Practical Magic” spinoff series, “Rules of Magic,” based on Hoffman’s prequel novel. That series eventually disappeared into the Hollywood ether, but the fandom lives on.
The film follows the women from the Owens family, a group of magically inclined, spellcasting ladies who are blessed with the supernatural gift but cursed by their matriarch. After being abandoned by her lover, pregnant and alone, Maria Owens cast a spell upon herself that she would never again feel the agony of love. According to “Practical Magic” lore and cast member Stockard Channing, “As her bitterness grew, the spell turned into a curse. A curse on any man who dared love an Owens woman.” Enter Bullock and Kidman, two sisters hellbent on breaking that curse and freeing themselves from a lifetime of malicious gossip from their townsfolk.
The original film is stuffed with its own kind of magic from the pitch-perfect Alan Silvestri score (the first giveaway at Warner Bros. tease earlier this week online) to the way Dunne filmed the Owens paranormal acts, well, practically. Plus, the soundtrack is loaded with actual witchy geniuses including Stevie Nicks’ re-recording of “Crystal” and “If You Ever Did Believe” along with Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You.”
I know, I know. We’re not supposed to be excited for yet another reboot of a decades-old property, but I can’t help it. While I fully admit that we don’t need this movie, I am kinda excited. I love Practical Magic. I actually rewatched it two years ago, when I rewatched Hocus Pocus to prepare for its sequel to come out. Which, speaking of, while I liked HP2, I admit that it was mainly nostalgia talking because that movie was pretty mid, lol. But at least it’s helping me temper expectations for Beatlejuice Beatlejuice and now, Practical Magic 2. It’s not like any of these movies were theatrical masterpieces the first time around, lol.
“The Book of Magic” includes all three generations of Owens women, so I wonder if Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest would be down to revive Aunt Franny and Aunt Jet. It would also be rad if Evan Rachel Wood got on board to reprise her role as Sally’s oldest daughter, Kylie. I’m rooting for an ensemble movie involving all three generations drinking midnight margaritas and casting spells.
photos credit: United Archives/Impress / Avalon, Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon
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