Will There Be A Practical Magic 3? Sandra Bullock & Nicole Kidman Have A Plan

Practical Magic 2 spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned, so please don’t put a multi-generation curse on me.

Good news for anyone who walked out of Practical Magic 2 immediately wondering when we can return to the Owens family’s witch world because Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock are open to doing more, but there are conditions!

The long-awaited sequel has debuted at number one at the Australian box office, taking $2.99 million locally across its opening weekend, including advance screenings. It knocked Spider-Man: Brand New Day off the top spot after six weeks, which is a very strong showing for a franchise powered by sisterhood, curses and margaritas.

Critics haven’t been the most impressed by the sequel, with the film debuting on Rotten Tomatoes this week with an approval rating of 34 per cent. There were definitely some valid qualms — Evan Rachel Wood and Alexandra Artrip were replaced in the new movie (it was to fit in with the storyline, but not even a cameo was harsh), other critics thought the CGI was over the top, but ultimately this movie was for the die-hard fans. The fans who saw the vision when even the first movie was met with criticism, so don’t we deserve to keep the magic going?

The case for more Owens women

Speaking to PEDESTRIAN.TV, Bullock and Kidman, who return as Sally and Gillian Owens and also produce the film, said there was plenty in Alice Hoffman’s book The Book of Magic that could still be explored.

When asked whether there had been a point where the sequel went from a nice idea to something they felt they had to make, Kidman pointed to the source material.

“The book, when you read the book and when it came, it was like there’s the material,” Kidman said to P.TV. “It’s just how does it actually get orchestrated? What storylines do you follow, and how do you do it?”

Bullock explained that getting the film from a beloved book to a studio green light was another matter entirely, calling the process of making a movie “virtually impossible”.

The pair ultimately enlisted returning Practical Magic writer Akiva Goldsman, alongside writers Georgia Pritchett and Kelly Marcel, to shape the sequel’s screenplay.

So, will there be a Practical Magic 3?

Officially, a third Practical Magic film has not been announced. Unofficially, Bullock and Kidman are very aware that the coven would be down.

When I suggested the franchise could become “The Avengers of the witchy world”, Bullock said there were further storylines in Hoffman’s book that deserved their own moment.

“Well, Alice’s book is very dense, and there are some storylines in there that I think deserve to have a moment,” Bullock said.

Kidman pointed to the newer generation of Owens witches, including Sally’s daughters Kylie and Antonia, played by Joey King and Maisie Williams.

“And the baby witches, who are now the, uh, Joey and Maisie step in and shine,” Kidman said. “Maisie has an incredible storyline in the book.”

Which is great news because I fear that Ninja Slushee machine had more screen time than Maisie.

Bullock then gave the most honest answer possible: the appetite needs to be there.

“This has to do well in order… and it also, more than doing well, it has to strike a chord the same way the first one did, to where there’s a swell of people saying, ‘We need more journey,’ and they trust us to bring it to them.”

Kidman added: “So we’re listening to you, so hopefully your voice is loud. We’re waiting.”

So time to get yelling coven!

Could there be a Practical Magic prequel?

The younger cast are also clearly ready to excavate the deeply haunted Owens family tree.

Asked which character deserved a prequel, Xolo Maridueña, who plays Kylie’s love interest Gideon, nominated the woman who appears at a funeral declaring, “Witches!”

“I want the origin story of that lady, they didn’t invite her to the party,” said Maridueña to P.TV.

Solly McLeod, who plays an ilegitimate Owens child and dark warlock Thomas Lockland, had a more historical pitch.

“You could go back if you wanted to, hundreds of years and have a look at, you know, Hannah and Maria Owens and everyone,” he said.

“I think that’d be very interesting. The lore of the first witch trials in the UK or something like that, because there’s a lot of history there.”

So no Practical Magic 3 confirmation just yet, but the original stars have ideas, the next generation is in place, and audiences have already turned up. I know we are all getting reboot and sequel fatigue, but if Marvel can shove out dozens of movies, don’t the witches deserve that too? If not, I will be speaking to my Etsy witch about it.

Lead image: Practical Magic 2