Warner Bros. has announced a sequel is in the works to the 1998 classic, Practical Magic, with stars Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman in talks to return.
The first movie starred Bullock and Kidman as the Owens sisters, who get wrapped up in a 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 remains a beloved, spooky season romcom.
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 fell apart, 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.
This should be a lot of fun. I love the original, and I would bet that Bullock and Kidman would only sign on to a sequel with a solid story, so I look forward to seeing what they come up with.
via: Variety