In 1998, Sandra Bullock was at her peak in Hollywood, on a wave of box office successes, and shared the screen with the praised and popular Nicole Kidman, even before the Oscar. The chemistry between the actresses is one of the undeniable parts of the success of Practical Magic, a film that was both successful and immediately became a cult film. Because 26 years later, the Owen sisters can return. That’s right, the two stars are in talks to return as Sally and Gillian Owens. “Magic” news for fans.

The original film was based on Alice Hoffman‘s 1995 novel and tells about the curse of a family of witches whose men who love them (and are reciprocated) die prematurely. Sally and Gillian naturally want to avoid getting married, but of course, it’s not that simple. When Gillian “accidentally” kills her abusive boyfriend, the two try some magic that goes wrong and from then on try to cover up both the crime and the supernatural.

Directed by Griffin Dunne and with songs by Stevie Knicks, Practical Magic is not perfect, it doesn’t fully embrace feminism nor is it about romance, but it is one of the hits of the Halloween season. Who doesn’t remember the classic “midnight margaritas”?

Over the years, there has been much discussion about prequels and sequels to the film, with or without its stars. But the announcement was made at midnight on TikTok – a tribute to the “midnight margaritas” scene from the first film – it was just the teaser so that the next day it would be made official that there is a sequel project in progress. But just like the Owen family mystery, there seemed to be something enchanted about every attempt.

The elements of magic failing for decades

The first, from 20 years ago, in 2004, was Sudbury (the name of the city where the Owens come from). A pilot was recorded with Kim Delaney and Jeri Ryan respectively as Sally and Gillian, but not even Bullock’s signature on the production saved the series. Some argue that there were already too many witches on the air with Charmed and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, but no one really knows what happened. Apparently, the proposal was to “restart the film”, and the pilot reduced everything told in more than an hour to less than 45 minutes.

Six years later, in 2010, there was talk of something in the early stages of development to resume the series, but it seems that it was just a rumor. It wasn’t until 2019, with author Alice Hoffman writing about aunts Frances and Jet exploring their own magical gifts in 1960s Massachusetts, that she considered reviving the idea again. The book, The Rules of Magic, worked as a prequel and could work for HBO Max. Then came the pandemic, and the strike, and actress Sandra Bullock took time off work to take care of her sick partner, who passed away. The stars, it seems, were aligning for 2024.

What could the new film be about?

Few details have been revealed, but Akiva Goldsman will write the script for the new film, with the return of Bullock and Kidman in the roles of the witch sisters. With so many changes, it will be interesting to see Sally and Gillian’s lives in modern times. And more tequila-fueled nights out, perhaps?

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