Practical Magic sequel taps nostalgia as stars reflect on simpler times

Nearly three decades after Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman first inhabited the roles of Sally and Gillian Owens, the witchy sisters are returning to the screen. Practical Magic 2 arrives this autumn, bringing back the original leads alongside a new generation of actors: Joey King and Maisie Williams will play Sally's daughters, Kylie and Antonia. The sequel exists because of something that happened in the years between the first film and now—a shift in how audiences discover and cherish older movies. When Practical Magic premiered in 1998, critics were lukewarm. But online, a new wave of viewers found it, rewatched it, and made it a cult classic and seasonal ritual. That groundswell of affection became impossible to ignore.

Bullock reflects on what made the decision to return unusual. "You never get the opportunity to do something where people really are asking you, 'please do it,'" she says. "It's usually us going to them." The reversal matters. For decades, studios chased audiences. Now audiences were chasing the story back.

The timing of the sequel speaks to something larger happening in entertainment. Reboots, reunions, and remakes now dominate the landscape. King, known for the Kissing Booth films, sees this hunger for the familiar rooted in the pace of modern life. "I think with technology moving at the speed that it is, we're really missing the times when we were less reachable," she tells BBC Newsbeat. She describes a simpler problem-solving: "If we couldn't figure out something, we'd stare out the window until it came to us." Cinema, she argues, offers a refuge—a chance to make and revisit memories in an age of constant connection.

Maisie Williams, who starred in Game of Thrones, frames the nostalgia differently. She sees it as symptomatic of people longing for simpler times, but she's careful about what that means for storytelling. She's grateful the filmmakers made a sequel rather than a remake. "I do believe in pushing the story forwards and I do believe in telling new stories," she says. "But I am not the biggest fan of the remake because I think it's a shame to withhold ourselves from telling a new story." The distinction matters to her: honor what came before, but don't repeat it.

Practical Magic 2 returns to the Owens family curse—the dark magic that condemns anyone who loves an Owens woman to death. The film carries forward the original's preoccupations: family tension, romantic darkness, and the midnight margaritas that became iconic. Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing reprise their roles. New faces include Lee Pace from Guardians of the Galaxy, Xolo Maridueña from Cobra Kai, and Solly McLeod from House of the Dragon.

Reviews have been mixed. The Guardian called it a "nostalgia-bait return" that is "strange and messy as the first" but carries "warm seasonal pleasures." The Hollywood Reporter suggested the film "works better the less you look for any sense of logic, and the more you just lean into the transient joys of watching these actresses bounce off each other." Williams admits the experience of joining the Owens world was "a little bit overwhelming," but the cast welcomed her. "They welcomed us into the sisterhood," she says.

That sisterhood—the bond between women—sits at the heart of both films. It was once a criticism. Some early reviewers branded the original as "too witchy" with "too many women." Now, with women's rights under pressure in various countries, that emphasis feels deliberate and necessary. Williams connects the film's themes to the moment. "We are in a time when young women are staying in education longer and women, before having children, are sometimes being paid more than their male counterparts, which I do find to be really exciting," she says. "But there's a lot of work to do." She sees something in the film's vision of witches, symbiosis, and power that can move the conversation forward. The sequel arrives not just as entertainment, but as a cultural artifact reflecting what audiences need right now.