Practical Magic 2: Stars on Longing for Simpler Times
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People long for simpler times, say Practical Magic reboot stars
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Actresses Joey King and Maisie Williams are joining the cast of the sequel to portray the daughters of Sandra Bullock’s character.
By Naomi Clarke
BBC Newsbeat
Published 23 minutes ago
Mix together a beloved film simmering for decades, a sprinkling of social media hype and a generous glug of star power, and you just might conjure up the long-awaited sequel to Practical Magic.
The 1998 fantasy romcom, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as witchy sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, received mixed reviews from critics when it was first released. But it’s put a spell on a new generation discovering it online, with some now regarding the film as a cult classic and autumn staple.
The demand for a follow-up by this new wave of fans helped convince Bullock and Kidman to reprise their roles nearly 30 years on, they say.
"You never get the opportunity to do something where people really are asking you, ‘please do it’," says Bullock. "It’s usually us going to them."
Actresses Joey King and Maisie Williams are joining the cast this time round to play Sally’s daughters, Kylie and Antonia.
Joey King tells BBC Newsbeat she feels this desire for nostalgic content, which has become one of the defining forces within entertainment in recent years, has been influenced by "the world moving so fast".
"I think with technology moving at the speed that it is, we’re really missing the times when we were less reachable," she says. "If we couldn’t figure out something, we’d stare out the window until it came to us, and I think we’re nostalgic for a time like that."
She feels this can also be a strength of cinema as it can help "make memories" and "feelings" for people that they can revisit by rewatching.
The upcoming release comes at a time when reboots, reunions, and remakes are dominating film and TV lists.
Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones star, agrees the drive for nostalgic content feels like a "symptom of people longing for simpler times", but says she is "very grateful" that they have made a sequel and not a remake.
"I do believe in pushing the story forwards and I do believe in telling new stories," she says. "And I do believe stories can come back around and they can still be meaningful."
"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."
Practical Magic 2 sees the cast return to a world which is steeped in powerful ancestral magic with the characters once again confronting a family curse which condemns anyone who loves and is loved by an Owens woman to death.
There are also nods to the original throughout, with bubbling family tension, dark romantic "witchcore" fashion, and the iconic midnight margaritas.
US acting stalwarts Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing return to their roles for the follow-up, while Guardians of the Galaxy actor Lee Pace, Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridueña, and House of the Dragon’s Solly McLeod are new additions.
Reviews so far have been mixed, with The Guardian describing it as a "nostalgia-bait return" which is as "strange and messy as the first" but with "warm seasonal pleasures to be had."
