Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are back for Practical Magic 2, but not all of the same witches have returned with them.
In the sequel, set 25 years after the 1998 cult classic, Joey King and Maisie Williams replace Evan Rachel Wood and Alexandra Artrip as the daughters of Bullock’s Sally Owens. Wood has previously spoken out about being recast, saying she was “not asked to come back” and “it was not in my control or my choice.”
On a red carpet for The Shards in July, Wood added that it appeared she wasn’t asked back because “it seems like they’re not following the book,” but wished King the best in taking over the role as oldest daughter Kylie.
At the follow-up’s L.A. premiere on Monday, King told The Hollywood Reporter that she “had a lovely conversation” with Wood following that interview, “and I just was so appreciative of the support that she showed to me and to the rest of the cast. She is so talented and so beautiful and she made this role so special when she was a young girl. I feel so grateful to be able to play Kylie at this age but I love Evan so much and I’m so appreciative of her kind words and the exchange that her and I shared.”
Director Susanne Bier also shed some further light on the recasting decision, explaining, “It had to be a certain age group; in the story they’re just like literally out of college, and with Joey and Maisie it just felt completely right.”
Practical Magic 2 sees Kylie Owens in a much larger role, as she discovers hidden family secrets and develops her own dark abilities. As a result, the Owens women — with Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing back as the witchy aunts of Bullock and Kidman’s characters — must reunite to finally break the curse that has haunted their family.
Maisie Williams, Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock and Joey King at the L.A. premiere.
Chloe Kern/FilmMagic
The original film was not a smash hit, but has reached cult classic status over the years. Bullock said there wasn’t the thought of a sequel “until the din got very loud on social media” and “it required a lot of things to fall into place for it to be the right time. We had to find the window where we could shoot it. Do we have the budget? Can we make it for that budget? Who is going to write it? Who knows us? Akiva Goldsman came in and was like, ‘Let me write this,’ and we were like, ‘Have at it.’ It was a lot of things that crashed together at the same time.”
Kidman added, “There were so many parts to the book [Alice Hoffman’s 2021 novel The Book of Magic] that we were basing it off that it was like mining. Going, what do you choose for this particular film? Because it can’t be eight hours.” Bullock teased, “I mean it can, but no one will go” as she noted, “We were very true to the nostalgia of it.”
Producer Denise Di Novi, who was behind the first film as well, echoed that the sequel came together when “the fans built to such a crescendo of saying ‘we want this movie’ and the last few years it kind of became undeniable. We all felt it at the same time.”
And as for if a third movie would be possible, Di Movi emphasized, “We hope so! Spread the word,” while also explaining the decision for Aidan Quinn’s Officer Gary Hallet — who seemed to be getting a happily ever after with Sally Owens at the end of the original — to not appear in the sequel.
“He died! Gary died of the curse,” she confirmed. “We thought the curse had been solved but the curse had not been solved, and it took down poor Gary. We love Aidan Quinn; you have to watch the movie but I think people will be happy with what happens.”
Practical Magic 2 hits theaters Sept. 10.
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