Aunts, Allies and New Blood Stir the Pot in ‘Practical Magic 2’

Warner Bros.’ “Practical Magic 2” has expanded its coven, re-enlisting Oscar-winner Dianne Wiest and Oscar-nominee Stockard Channing as the indomitable aunts while recruiting Joey King, Lee Pace, Maisie Williams, Xolo Maridueña and Solly McLeod for undisclosed roles in the spell-casting sequel, now in production under director Susanne Bier and aiming for a 18 September 2026 theatrical bow.

According to the casting breakdown first reported in trade circles, King will play Sally Owens’s now-grown daughter, marking the franchise’s leap to a new generation, while Pace (“Foundation”), Williams (“Game of Thrones”), Maridueña (“Blue Beetle”) and McLeod (“The Dead Don’t Hurt”) join in roles the studio is keeping tightly under wraps.

Wiest and Channing reprise Aunt Jet and Aunt Franny, fan-favourite mentors whose return had been the subject of persistent online campaigns and opinion pieces urging the sequel to honour its elder witches.

Stars Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are back both in front of and behind the camera, producing alongside original steward Denise Di Novi. Di Novi says the screenplay “draw[s] heavily” from Alice Hoffman’s 2021 novel The Book of Magic and promises to remain “very faithful” to the characters who made the 1998 film a cult staple. The script is being penned by returning writer Akiva Goldsman with “Succession” alum Georgia Pritchett, a pairing the studio hopes will balance nostalgia with contemporary bite.

Bier, fresh off limited-series successes, is the first woman to helm an instalment in the franchise, a move observers say aligns with the story’s multigenerational female focus and the industry’s push toward broader representation behind the camera. After its theatrical run, the picture is expected to stream on Max, echoing Warner’s recent hybrid release strategy for legacy properties.

While fans celebrate the return of midnight margaritas, some commentators caution that the sequel will need to avoid the nostalgia-only pitfalls that tripped comparable legacy projects and ensure the expanded ensemble serves Hoffman’s family saga rather than crowding it. The project already overcame one false start—the aborted 2019 “Rules of Magic” prequel series—suggesting the studio is determined to get the tone right this time.