Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman brought a sprinkling of magic to Warner Bros.’ CinemaCon presentation on Tuesday, with some exclusive footage from Practical Magic 2 revealed at the Las Vegas event.
The two stars took the stage holding hands, after emerging through a cloud of smoke as Bullock joked, “That’s exactly what happens every time I leave to take the kids to school.”
“The witches are back!” Kidman exclaimed, as Bullock teased, “Step on my line, that’s OK.” They continued to banter as Bullock teed the room up, “Why do we come here, Nicole?” leading Kidman to deliver her signature AMC promo line, “We come to this place for magic!” to big applause. Bullock joked, “I told you!” as Kidman admitted, “I didn’t think anyone would clap.”
They also offered up some details on where the sequel picks up, having rebuilt the original house on the cliff but “we also have our past catching up with us and we have our destinies and we have our family,” Kidman said.
“Sally is single, and if you know the original film, you can probably guess why,” Bullock teased, saying her character now has two daughters and Kidman’s character has a black cat.
They then showed off a teaser trailer, highlighting the three generations of witches inside the home as Bullock’s character passes along the family skills to her kids (played by Joey King and Maisie Williams). They’re still facing some of the same challenges though, as Bullock explains to Lee Pace’s new addition, “Everyone we love dies.” Kidman chimes in, “A really horrible death. It’s not great for the Tinder bio.”
The film sees Bullock and Kidman reprise their roles from the 1998 original, which follows orphaned sisters Sally and Gillian Owens as they are raised by their witch aunts Aunt Jet (Dianne Wiest) and Aunt Franny (Stockard Channing). After avoiding witchcraft most of their lives, the pair work to learn how to use their powers against a curse that threatens them from finding love.
Wiest and Stockard are also returning for the follow-up, along with new additions Pace, King, Williams, Xolo Maridueña and Solly McLeod.
“Twenty-five years ago, Sally, Gillian, Aunt Jet and Aunt Franny flew off the pages of Alice Hoffman’s beloved novel and into theaters around the world, and we are thrilled to bring the Owens family back to the big screen with Joey, Lee, Maisie, Solly and Xolo joining the next chapter in our story,” the filmmaking team said in a statement when the sequel was announced. “The enduring affection for these characters has been our inspiration to deliver the next installment in the Owens’ story to new fans, and those who’ve been with us since the beginning.”
Susanne Bier, who recently collaborated with Kidman on The Perfect Couple, is directing, while Akiva Goldsman, who worked on the original Practical Magic’s script, penned the sequel’s screenplay. Denise Di Novi, the producer on the 1998 movie, is producing the new one alongside the two main stars, with a theatrical release date set for Sept. 18 — just in time for spooky season.
