Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman Near Deals to Return for ‘Practical Magic’ Sequel at Warner Bros.
Samantha Bergeson
Oscar winners Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock are just about ready to cast another spell with “Practical Magic 2.”
On Monday, Warner Bros. announced a sequel to the beloved 1998 classic. Both of the original film‘s stars, Bullock and Kidman, are nearing deals to star in and produce the new one, a person with knowledge of the talks tells IndieWire. Akiva Goldsman, who also just committed to penning a Monster High adaptation for Mattel, will write the sequel screenplay. Denise Di Novi will produce.
Recent “Girls on the Bus” star and Hollywood icon Griffin Dunne directed the original 1998 film; it’s Dunne’s sole feature-directing credit. There is no word yet on who will direct the sequel.
“Practical Magic” centers on the Owens sisters, played by Bullock and Kidman. The witchy duo are cursed in love, with their partners dying early deaths…including one at the hands of Kidman’s character. Stockard Channing co-starred as their aunt. The film was adapted from Alice Hoffman’s 1995 novel.
In 2019, HBO Max announced a prequel “Practical Magic” series titled “Rules of Magic,” based on Hoffman’s other novel. Whether due to COVID, consolidation, or another reason, the series never happened and it does not have a future at Max.
“Practical Magic” isn’t the only Warner Bros. project Kidman is returning to: the actress/producer confirmed to Vanity Fair that “Big Little Lies” Season 3 is officially in the works.
“We’re moving fast and furious,” Kidman said. “And Liane is delivering the book. And we’re in good shape. We need to shut up because there’s this whole thing that you should never talk about something until you’ve done it. Because if you talk about doing it, it’s the dopamine hit of doing it. You feel like you’ve done it. It’s a scientific study.”
During the joint interview, Kidman’s “Big Little Lies” co-star Reese Witherspoon admitted she was worried about the Emmy-winning series finding the right audience due to its shifting tone.
“I was like, ‘This show is not going to work. It’s not going to work,’” Witherspoon said. “And it freaking worked.”
So much so that the fans have been clamoring for more installments at the originally-slated limited series for years.
Kidman teased in 2020 that there was a “story being concocted” and that the ensemble cast was onboard. “It’s more the kernel of ideas that just need to be solidified,” the Oscar winner said at the time. “We all just want to work together again. I texted Zoë [Kravitz] and Laura [Dern], and they’re in. David E. Kelly and Liane [Moriarty] have a really good idea for it. Watch this space!”
