Fans have already started to prepare their midnight margaritas in anticipation of Practical Magic 2 — and star Sandra Bullock is thrilled to be returning for the sequel alongside Nicole Kidman.
“Sandra’s really excited about Practical Magic 2,” a source exclusively shares in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “Nicole is someone she adores, and she can’t wait to spend more time with her.”
Twenty five years after the original film hit theaters in 1998, Bullock, 60, and Kidman, 57, confirmed that they would return as witchy sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, respectively. Based on the book by Alice Hoffman, the movie followed the duo, raised by their eccentric aunts (Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest) in a small town, as they attempted to defeat an evil spirit and end a curse preventing them ever finding lasting love.
Although the movie was panned by critics, it has since gone on to become a beloved fan favorite. The sequel will reportedly center on another novel from Hoffman’s series.
While plot details remain under wraps, both Bullock and Kidman believe the story is “worth revisiting,” a second insider tells Us, noting that Warner Bros. hopes to get the film made in the next year. “Plus, they’re pumped about making another movie together.” (The film is currently slated for a 2025 release.)
When asked about the story line in mid-June, Kidman told The Hollywood Reporter, “You have to ask Sandy.” She added that the duo had been “circling” a follow up film “for a while, but, you know, it’s still in [the early stages].”
Both actresses will produce the movie alongside OG producer Denise Di Novi, while A Beautiful Mind’s Akiva Goldsman has been tapped to write the screenplay.
Since the original Practical Magic premiered, fans have been hoping for a sequel as Hoffman’s book series features four novels. Aside from Practical Magic, the author has written The Rules of Magic, Magic Lessons and The Book of Magic. During an October 2021 interview, Hoffman gushed about the 1998 film, sharing why she felt the first adaptation worked so well.
“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. But I feel so lucky that all those truly great actresses are in one movie,” she explained. “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. I feel really lucky to have been involved with it.”
Bullock, for her part, reflected on shooting the movie during a 2019 conversation with Katie Couric on the Today show.
“I had such a great time,” Bullock said of her time on set with Kidman. “And the fact is, we don’t have anything in common, except for at the dinner table with a bottle of wine and everything sort of blends together.”
Bullock also looked back on filming the famous “midnight margaritas” scene where Sally and Gillian drink and dance around drunk in the kitchen moonlight with their aunts, revealing that Kidman may have poured one too many real shots of liquor at one point.
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“We weren’t drunk when we shot these parts or when we did our close-ups,” Bullock said of the scene. “But we had to reshoot a scene where it was far away and we were on our backs and Nicole just put the bottle on the table and said, ‘You know what? There’s no reason we shouldn’t be drunk here.’ And I said, ‘You know what? That’s true.’”
For more on Bullock, check out the latest issue of Us Weekly — which includes 12 additional pages, a redesigned look and new franchises readers will love — on newsstands now.
