Summary
Practical Magic 2is officially in development, with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman confirmed to return, and a recent update gives me hope for it to do justice to the first movie. Along with the trends of reboots and remakes, the film industry has been producing many legacy and long-awaited sequels of movies that came out many years ago. Among the most recent additions to the list of sequels in development isPractical Magic 2, the continuation of Griffin Dune’s 1998 romantic fantasy moviePractical Magic, based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Alice Hoffman.
Practical Magictakes viewers to a small town in Massachusetts to meet the Owens women, who carried the curse of their ancestor, Maria, that doomed any man an Owens woman loved. After the death of her husband, Sally (Bullock) stopped practicing magic, until her sister Gillian (Kidman) needed help to get rid of her abusive boyfriend, who returned as an evil, vengeful spirit. Now, over two decades later,Practical Magic 2is finally happening, and as excited as I am, I am worried about the sequel, but a recent update is giving me hope.
Practical Magic Ending Explained
The cult classic Practical Magic has a happy ending, but with a sequel on the way, it’s worth revisiting the story and what went into that ending.
Practical Magic 2’s Producer Understands The Essence Of The Movie
Practical Magic 2 Will Keep The Story’s Most Important Elements
Di Novi said that the themes of sisterhood, family, and being your true self are what make Practical Magic so special.
In addition to Bullock and Kidman returning forPractical Magic 2, the sequel is counting on the original movie’s producer, Denise Di Novi, and co-writer Akiva Goldsman. Speaking toMovieWebin July 2024 while celebrating her first gallery show, Di Novi opened up aboutPractical Magic 2and what fans can expect after all these years.Di Novi said they know what the audience loves aboutPractical Magicand, as fans are very expressive, they’ve had a lot of time to analyze why it has resonated with so many people through the years.
Di Novi said that the themes of sisterhood, family, and being your true self are what makePractical Magicso special, as well as the concept of finding magic and beauty in everything, every day. Di Novi added thatPractical Magicis about “family, joy, love, music, home, beauty, surrounding yourself with nature and beauty”, and is aware of how special the house, the garden, and the characters are to the fans,assuring that the sequel will be faithful to all these things and Sally and Gillian– and that’s a huge relief.
I lovePractical Magic, and I’m excited about the sequel, but like all of us, I’ve been through the disappointment of long-awaited sequels that didn’t reach their full potential.Many sequels have felt more like a money grabrather than a proper continuation and expansion of the original movie,which has been my concern withPractical Magic 2.
However, seeing that the team behindPractical Magic 2knows well what the essence ofPractical Magicis and the themes that should be included in the sequel gives me a lot of hope that it will do justice to the original movie and focus on its core themes rather than cashing in the popularity ofPractical Magic.
Practical Magic 2 Will Adapt The Original Book’s Sequel
Practical Magic Was Followed By The Book of Magic
The Book of Magicwas published in 2021, and it reunites readers with Sally, Gillian, and aunts Frances and Jet.
What also gives me some peace thatPractical Magic 2will be a worthy sequel is its source material. As I mentioned above,Practical Magicwas based on the book of the same name by Alice Hoffman, who wrote two prequel novels –The Rules of Magicin 2017 andMagic Lessonsin 2020 – and one sequel. The latter, titledThe Book of Magic, was published in 2021, and it reunites readers with Sally, Gillian, and aunts Frances and Jet. It starts withAunt Jet hearing the deathwatch beetle and knowing she only has a week to liveas the curse is already at work.
To break the curse, the Owens women travel to where their ancestor, Maria, first practiced the Unnamed Art. Meanwhile, Sally’s daughters discover the secrets of magic and love that their mother had been hiding from them – and in addition to all this,there’s a long-lost Owens brother.Practical Magic 2is confirmed to be adaptingThe Book of Magic, and with Di Novi and Goldsman back, it’s almost guaranteed to have the same style and vibe as the first movie.
Practical Magic 2 Still Has To Avoid The Biggest Problem Of Sequels
Modern Sequels Tend To Fall Into A Nostalgia Trap
Various sequels have relied too much on nostalgia and fan service rather than quality.
Even with all these elements that give me hope forPractical Magic 2being the sequel we all need and deserve, there’s still one big problem it has to avoid. Many sequels in recent years have been disappointing due to the nostalgia trap. Various sequels have relied too much on nostalgia and fan service rather than quality and properly expanding the stories of their characters.Practical Magic 2can easily fall into that, buthaving a book to adapt can save it from it as it already has a story to focus on.
Source:MovieWeb.
Practical Magic
Practical Magic is a romantic fantasy film directed by Griffin Dunne, featuring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, born into a family of witches. Living under a curse that dooms any man they fall in love with to an untimely death, the sisters navigate love, loss, and their magical heritage while confronting family secrets and societal prejudices.
