Last June, Warner Bros. took to TikTok to announce that a sequel to “Practical Magic” was officially in the works. The 1998 film, directed by Griffin Dunne, starred Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, and Dianne Wiest.
Warners has just dated the film for September 18, 2026 release.
Yes, the sequel is actually happening. Who’d have guessed? Susanne Bier is going to direct “Practical Magic 2.” It tracks—Bier previously worked with Bullock on “Bird Box” and with Kidman on both “The Undoing” and the upcoming “The Perfect Couple.” Bullock will reprise her role as Sally Owens, while Kidman returns as her wild-child sister, Gillian.
Akiva Goldsman, who co-wrote the original screenplay, is back to write the sequel. Production is set to begin in late summer.
Danish-born Bier has had a career that zigzags between prestige and less-than-prestige. She made her mark in the 2000s with a string of acclaimed films like “Open Hearts,” “Brothers,” “After the Wedding,” and the Oscar-winning “In a Better World.” Then came the Hollywood phase: “Things We Lost in the Fire,” “Love is All You Need,” “Serena,” and yes, “Bird Box.” Her work in television, however, has fared better, with the well-received miniseries “The Night Manager” and the buzzy Netflix adaptation of “The Perfect Couple.”
“Practical Magic” told the story of two witchy sisters, played by Kidman and Bullock, raised by their charmingly oddball aunts in a small town that didn’t take kindly to their magical leanings. They also had to deal with a family curse that ensured heartbreak for any man they dared to love.
The sequel looks like a vehicle to reunite Kidman and Bullock—and hey, why not? The bar’s not exactly high. The original limped to a $68M global box office on a $75M budget and earned lukewarm reviews at best. Of course, there wouldn’t be a sequel without a cult following—and over the years, that’s exactly what “Practical Magic” managed to build. You can read some of those reappraisals via The Atlantic, Vox, and Vanity Fair
“Hope,” Na’s first film in ten years — his last one being the exemplary “The Wailing” —is a gloriously messy, blood-soaked sci-fi epic that may become a cult classic despite—or because of—its polarizing nature.