Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman brought a little magic to Warner Bros. CinemaCon screening on Tuesday, with some exclusive footage from Practical magic 2 It was unveiled at a Las Vegas event.
The two stars took to the stage holding hands, after emerging through a cloud of smoke, with Bullock joking: “This is exactly what happens every time I leave to take the kids to school.”
“The witches are back!” “Get out of my line, it’s okay,” Kidman shouted as Bullock taunted. They continued to joke around as Bullock tidied the room, saying, “Why do we come here, Nicole?” Which prompted Kidman to deliver her signature AMC promotional line, “We came to this place for magic!” To great applause. “I told you!” Bullock joked. As Kidman admitted: “I didn’t think anyone would applaud.”
They also offered some details about where the sequel begins, after the original house on the cliff is rebuilt, but “we also have our pasts catching up with us and we have our destinies and we have our families,” Kidman said.
“Sally is single, and if you know the original movie, you can probably guess why,” Bullock joked, saying that her character now has two daughters and that Kidman’s character has a black cat.
They then showed a trailer, highlighting the three generations of witches within the house as Bullock’s character passes on familial skills to her children (played by Joey King and Maisie Williams). However, they still face some of the same challenges, as Bullock explains of Lee Pace’s new addition, “Everyone We Love Dies.” Kidman chimes in, “Really terrible death. Not great for a Tinder bio.”
The film sees Bullock and Kidman reprise their roles from the 1998 original, which tells the story of orphaned sisters Sally and Gillian Owens as they are raised by their witch aunts Auntie Jet (Dianne Wiest) and Aunt Frannie (Stockard Channing). After avoiding magic for most of their lives, the couple works to learn how to use their powers against a curse that threatens them to find love.
Wiest and Stockard also return for the follow-up, along with new additions Pace, King, Williams, Xolo Maridueña and Solly McLeod.
“Twenty-five years ago, Sally, Jillian, Aunt Jett and Aunt Frannie flew from the pages of Alice Hoffman’s beloved novel to theaters around the world, and we’re thrilled to bring the Owens family back to the big screen with Joey, Lee, Macy, Sully and Zulu joining the next chapter of our story,” the film’s making team said in a statement when announcing the sequel. “The enduring affection for these characters has inspired us to bring the next part of the Owens story to new fans, and those who have been with us since the beginning.”
Susanne Bier, who recently collaborated with Kidman on… The perfect coupleis directing, while Akiva Goldsman is working on the original Practical magicScreenplay, penned the screenplay for the sequel. Denise Di Novi, producer of the 1998 film, is producing the new film alongside the two lead stars, with a theatrical release date set for September 18 – just in time for spooky season.
