Practical Magic 2 Cast: Who’s Returning and Who Was Recast 28 Years Later

Sandra Bullock returns to play Sally Owens, a cautious and grounded witch. Bullock loves the bond between Sally and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) in the movie. She explained to USA Today that the sisters “have the most emotionally heart-wrenching moments with or against each other, and yet the thing that never breaks is that they love each other the most,” adding, “I don't think we see that enough in cinema with women. You're supposed to fight. You're supposed to disagree. We're not all made of the same thing. Even sisters and twins have different DNA.” Bullock, meanwhile, needs no introduction. She’s best known for The Proposal, The Blind Side, Miss Congeniality, Ocean's Eight, While You Were Sleeping, Two Weeks Notice, The Heat, among other projects.

Nicole Kidman reprises the role of Gillian Owens, a free-spirited and rebellious witch. In the sequel, “the Owens sisters must confront the dark curse that threatens to unravel their family once and for all in a must-see cinematic event of fun, magic and mayhem.” Kidman’s notable credits include Babygirl, Big Little Lies, Lioness, Eyes Wide Shut, The Others, and Moulin Rouge!.

Dianne Wiest once again portrays Aunt Bridget “Jet” Owens. She’s the eccentric aunt who raises the orphaned Sally and Gillian. In a recent chat with PEOPLE at the London premiere, Wiest revealed that her favorite scene from the sequel was “when we were all at the table for my birthday lunch. I loved that scene.” She further explained, “We were all there, we’re all together, and we’re celebrating. It was a great scene.” Wiest has previously starred in some notable projects, including Edward Scissorhands, The Birdcage, Hannah and Her Sisters, I Care a Lot, and Parenthood.

Stockard Channing brings Aunt Frances “Franny” Owens back to life in Practical Magic 2. Franny is another magic-wielding aunt of Sally and Gillian who also helped raise them. Even though almost three decades have passed since the original film came out, for Channing, it felt like no time had passed. She told HELLO! Magazine, “We're back like we had never left each other, which is kind of extraordinary. We kept getting on with it as if we had stopped shooting a week before, which was unusual. It was tremendously easy.” Fans may recognize Channing from Grease, Six Degrees of Separation, The First Wives Club, Where the Heart Is, and The Truth About Jane.

Viewers who watched the original 1998 movie would surely know that Kylie Owens, the older daughter of Sally, was portrayed by Evan Rachel Wood. However, she is not in the sequel. That’s because the role is played by Joey King in Practical Magic 2. The reason for the recasting was nothing controversial. It was done because of the character’s age requirement. Director Susanne Bier explained to Mandatory, “It had to be a certain age group; in the story they're just like literally out of college, and with Joey and Maisie it just felt completely right.” King is widely recognized for her roles in The Kissing Booth, The Act, Bullet Train, Uglies, A Family Affair, and The In Between.

Antonia Owens’ role is also recast. The character of Sally’s youngest daughter was originally played by Alexandra Artrip. Now, Maisie Williams has taken over the role of Antonia for the sequel. The reason was the same as it was for Kylie’s replacement: both characters needed to be from a “certain age group.” Artrip also showed support for both actresses amid fans’ criticism for recasting. She took to Instagram and posted a video, expressing, “People are trying to show support for Evan and myself and the original film and everything it’s meant to so many people, but I just don’t want my stuff to be a space for negativity. Maisie and Joey are lovely actresses, and I’m sure the production team did what they thought was best for the film to be successful.” Williams’ résumé includes titles like Game of Thrones, The New Mutants, The Falling, Then Came You, The New Look, and Two Weeks to Live.