Original Practical Magic Writer Returning for Sequel

The Practical Magic sequel is bringing back another talent from the original film. According to Collider, the eagerly anticipated sequel is being written by Akiva Goldsman, who co-wrote the screenplay for the original 1998 film. Goldsman is just the latest participant from the original film to return for the sequel as it was previously announced that both Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are returning to reprise their roles as the Owens sisters. A director for the sequel film has not yet been announced.

For the sequel, Goldsman will pick up the story of the Owens sisters with producer Denise Di Novi previously revealing that the film will take its inspiration from author Alice Hoffman’s The Book of Magic. That book, published in 2021, is actually the fourth book in the Practical Magic series of novels, though it is the only novel to be a direct sequel to the Practical Magic book — the other two novels, The Rules of Magic (2017) and Magic Lessons (2020) are both prequels.

“It’s going to be in 2025, but I’m not exactly sure when,” Di Novi said previously. “We’re just beginning the script, and Akiva Goldsman, who worked on the original and 10 million things since then, is writing the script.”

Original Stars Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock Are Returning

Shortly after the announcement that Practical Magic 2 was in the works, Kidman confirmed that she and Bullock are returning for the film. At the time, Kidman, who plays Gillian Owens in the original Practical Magic,

said there’s “a lot more to tell”.

“Yes, I will be in it. And Sandy will be in it. And that’s that,” Kidman said. “There’s a lot more to tell which is why we go, ‘Okay, this is kind of interesting now to be able to do this.’ [We] found a way in.”

What is Practical Magic About?

Based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Hoffman, Practical Magic opened in theaters in 1998 and follows sisters Gillian and Sally who, following the tragic death of their parents, are raised by their aunts. As it turns out, the girls descend from a long line of witches with a curse following their ancestry thanks to a spell cast that would doom any man that falls in love with a woman from the Owens family.

Fans of the film have been eager for a sequel for years. Outside of the books, Practical Magic was also the subject of various planned television revivals and a reboot pilot was even shot for CBS in 2004 while a prequel series went into development in 2010 for ABC Family, but neither project was picked up. In 2019, another prequel project was in the works at Max, but it also didn’t come to fruition.