NEED TO KNOW
More Practical Magic 2 casting news has arrived!
Returning for the long-anticipated sequel to Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman’s witchy 1998 hit are Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest, who are reprising their roles of the aunts to Sally Owens (Bullock, 60) and Gillian Owens (Kidman, 58) from the original film.
Channing, 81, will once again play Frances “Franny” Owens, the more no-nonsense of the pair, while Wiest, 77, returns as the kind, understanding Bridget “Jet” Owens, reads an official release.
New additions to the cast for the follow-up to the iconic fantasy romance are Joey King as Sally’s daughter, plus Lee Pace, Maisie Williams, Xolo Maridueña and Solly McLeod.
Deadline was the first to report news of the additional casting alongside Bullock and Kidman.
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In a statement, the filmmaking team behind Practical Magic 2 — which includes director Susanne Bier, taking over from Griffin Dunne — said, “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 enduring affection for these characters has been our inspiration to deliver the next installment in the Owens’ story to new fans, and those who’ve been with us since the beginning,” they added.
Practical Magic, based on Hoffman’s 1995 book of the same name, stars Kidman and Bullock as the Owens sisters, a pair of witches who are fighting off a curse that kills the men they fall in love with.
The new film is written by original screenwriter Akiva Goldsman plus Succession’s Georgia Pritchett. Bullock, Kidman and original producer Denise Di Novi are among the sequel’s producing team.
While details about the sequel’s plot have not yet been revealed, Di Novi, 69, spoke with PEOPLE about the forthcoming film back in August 2024, explaining that it will aim to keep the spirit of the original while offering something new for fans.
“I think the big mistake people make with sequels is when they kind of want to reinvent the wheel and be totally original and surprise people that it’s different or whatever,” she said.
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The producer explained that the team behind the new film “gets how important the first movie is to so many people, women in particular, and we want to honor that for sure.”
“There’s a joyousness to that movie, and there’s such beautiful themes of sisterhood and family and acceptance, tolerance, love,” she continued. “Just the title that Alice Hoffman, the amazing author, thought of that’s now become part of the vernacular of Practical Magic is that there’s magic in daily life, in love, in family, in sisterhood.”
“It’s magical, and we all have our gifts, and women have very particular and specific gifts,” Di Novi added. “We really want to honor all of that.”
Practical Magic 2 is scheduled for a theatrical release on Sept. 18, 2026.
