“Practical Magic 2” has rounded out its cast with returning stars Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing, as well as four new faces.
Warner Bros. Pictures announced on Friday that Wiest and Channing will be reprising their roles from the original “Practical Magic” as witch sisters Aunt Jet and Aunt Franny, who raised sisters Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) following the deaths of their parents and taught them their family’s magical ways. The two performers join the previously announced Bullock and Kidman in the “Practical Magic” sequel, as well as Joey King (“A Family Affair”), who is set to star as the daughter of Bullock’s Sally.
In addition to Wiest and Channing, franchise newcomers Lee Pace (“Pushing Daisies”), Maisie Williams (“Game of Thrones”), Xolo Maridueña (“Blue Beetle”) and Solly McLeod (“The Dead Don’t Hurt”) have all joined the “Practical Magic 2” cast. Details about their characters are being kept under wraps for the time being.
Filming is underway on the sequel, which is set to be released in theaters a little over a year from now on Sept. 18, 2026. While Griffin Dunne directed the original “Practical Magic,” Susanne Bier, who directed Kidman in “The Perfect Couple” and “The Undoing” and Bullock in “Bird Box,” is helming the sequel. Original “Practical Magic” co-writer Akiva Goldsman (“A Beautiful Mind”) returned to co-write the sequel’s script with “Succession” writer Georgia Pritchett.
Bullock and Kidman are onboard the sequel not just as stars but also as producers this time.
“Twenty-five years ago, Sally, Gillian, Aunt Jet and Aunt Franny flew off the pages of Alice Hoffman’s beloved novel and into theaters around the world, and we are thrilled to bring the Owens family back to the big screen with Joey, Lee, Maisie, Solly and Xolo joining the next chapter in our story,” the “Practical Magic 2” team said in a statement Friday. “The enduring affection for these characters has been our inspiration to deliver the next installment in the Owen’s story to new fans, and those who’ve been with us since the beginning.”
Based on a 1995 novel of the same name by Alice Hoffman, the first “Practical Magic” followed Bullock’s Sally and Kidman’s Gillian as they are raised by their aunts and taught how to use their magic for practical purposes. The two sisters are then brought back together as adults, first by the death of Sally’s husband and then by Gillian’s attempt to escape her abusive boyfriend, the latter of which turns out to be a more complicated problem than either expected.
The film was met with largely mixed reviews when it was released in the fall of 1998 and it went on to gross only $68 million at the worldwide box office. In the following years, though, the romantic fantasy garnered a passionate fan base and has since emerged as a genuine cult classic.
