Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman Set to Return for ‘Practical Magic’ Sequel
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are back as Owens sisters after 26 years. The actors are in talks to return to the sequel to Practical Magic, which was announced by Warner Bros.
They also produced the film with the original producer, Denise Di Novi. Akiva Goldsman, one of the writers behind the first movie, penned the script. The film was based on Alice Hoffman’s 1995 novel of the same name.
The studio’s announcement on Warner Bros.’ TikTok account on Sunday ignited speculation about the sequel. Tik Tok account through a video that was a nod to the “midnight margaritas” scenes and revealed that the film was available online and also streamed on Max. The next morning, it was officially announced that Practical Magic 2 was in development.
In 2019, HBO Max decided to plan a spin-off series based on Hoffman’s prequel novel, which was named Rules of Magic. The series was decided to focus on Owens sisters aunts, Franny and Jet, but it was eventually dropped.
In the film, Bullock and Kidman portrayed the Owens sisters, Sally and Gillian, respectively, who hailed from a witchcraft family. After their parents died due to a family curse, their aunts raised them. When they grew up, the sisters learned practical magic, and they had to use their magical power to defeat Gullian’s boyfriend’s evil spirit.
The movie was released in 1998 and mostly received mixed reviews from critics. It grossed $68.3 million at the box office against a $75 million budget. The film was neither a commercial success nor a critical success, but it gained a cult following.
Hoffman said during an interview in 2021, “I love the movie. It’s different than the book. The movie always has to be different than a book because you’re in such a different medium.”
She also added, “The fact it’s about women and women’s relationships — at its core, it’s about a form of sisterhood — I think has made it more popular over the years. So, it’s kind of a cult movie.”
The plot details of the movie is currently scarce, but Hoffman published two prequel novels, The Rules of Magic (2017) and Magis Lessons (2020), and a sequel novel, The Book of Magic (2021), in the series.
Bullock last appeared in the films The Lost City, The Unforgivable, and Bullet Train.
Kidman recently appeared in the series Expats. Her upcoming projects include A Family Affair, The Perfect Couple, The Last Anniversary, The Perfect Nanny, Hope, Pretty Things, and Things I Know To Be True.