With the Practical Magic 2 teaser trailer enchanting fans this week, many wondered why Aidan Quinn had not reprised his role as investigator Gary Hallet. Original cast members Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, and Dianne Wiest are all returning for the eagerly anticipated sequel, set for release on 11 September.
Joey King, Maisie Williams, Lee Pace, and Xolo Maridueña joined the cast too, but fans have aired their confusion as to why Sally Owens' love interest in the first film won't be present.
Speaking at CinemaCon (per Deadline), Bullock said: "If you know the original film, you can probably guess why."
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The original 1998 film followed the Owens' family, which was cursed by a heartbroken ancestor so that any man who falls in love with an Owens woman dies. Sally's father and first husband were both struck down by the curse, but Practical Magic's ending seemed to suggest that Gary escaped with his life.
In the teaser, however, Sally is heard saying, "Everyone we love dies", to which Kidman's Gillian replies, "A really horrible death. But it’s just not great for the Tinder bio".
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Speaking to Spin 1038, Quinn confirmed he would not be returning for the sequel, and that he hadn't been asked.
On working with Kidman and Bullock, he added: "They were both great to work with. You know, most of my stuff was with Sandy, but they were both phenomenal to work with. We had a good time."
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Kidman compared Bullock to her sister in an interview with People where she talked about working on the sequel.
"I adore her, and she is so funny and so lovable. And we're just having the best time together."
She also praised others on the production, adding: "We have this wonderful female director, Susanne Bier. Warner Bros. is behind the film. And they've been incredibly supportive in making this, going back and then expanding it.
"And then we have beautiful Joey King, who I've worked with before and who's just lovely, so it's a group of amazing, amazing women and some great men who are creating the next phase, the next stage of the witches' life."
Practical Magic 2 will be released in cinemas on 11 September.
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