For anyone who fell under the spell of Practical Magic in 1998, this is the reunion that once seemed almost impossible.
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are officially back together as Sally and Gillian Owens — and this time, they’re not simply reminiscing about the movie that made them one of Hollywood’s most beloved on-screen sister duos.
They’ve made another one.
On August 31, Bullock and Kidman walked hand in hand at the Los Angeles premiere of Practical Magic 2, nearly 28 years after audiences first met the Owens sisters. Bullock is now 62 and Kidman 59, and the new photographs instantly transported fans back to the late 1990s. (instyle.com)
Sandra & Nicole together again — see the new premiere photos
The actresses have spent the past few weeks promoting their long-awaited sequel together.
At the London photo call on August 27, they posed hand in hand beneath the Practical Magic 2 sign. Four days later, they did it again at the U.S. premiere in Los Angeles.
For the Los Angeles event, Kidman arrived in a dramatic black lace Atelier Versace gown, while Bullock wore a custom Louis Vuitton look with black velvet, a plunging sheer panel and an oversized white collar. (instyle.com)
But for longtime fans, the clothes weren’t really the point.
It was simply Sally and Gillian standing beside each other again.
This is how fans first knew them
When Practical Magic arrived in theaters in 1998, Bullock and Kidman were already major stars.
Bullock played Sally Owens, the more cautious of the two sisters. Kidman was Gillian — fiery, impulsive and determined to escape their unusual family history.
The Owens women possessed magical abilities, but their gifts came with a terrible price: a curse doomed the men they truly loved.
The film mixed romance, grief, sisterhood, humor and witchcraft with an autumnal New England atmosphere that proved impossible for many viewers to forget.
And although its original theatrical reception was mixed, something interesting happened over the following decades.
People kept watching it.
The midnight margaritas. The Owens house. The garden. The spells. Sally’s daughters. Aunt Jet and Aunt Franny.
Eventually, Practical Magic became a genuine cult favorite.
Then, 27 years later, the witches returned
For years, fans talked about the possibility of another movie.
Then it actually happened.
Production on Practical Magic 2 began in 2025, and one of the first glimpses from the set immediately went viral: Kidman and Bullock embracing as they reunited in character.
Kidman shared the moment herself, announcing:
“The witches are back.”
It was the Owens sisters’ first day together on the new set.
For anyone who remembered them from 1998, the comparison was remarkable.
The hairstyles had changed. Nearly three decades had passed. Both women had lived enormous lives and careers since the original movie.
Yet put them together, and Sally and Gillian were instantly recognizable.
And they’re not the only familiar faces returning
The sequel doesn’t stop with Bullock and Kidman.
Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing are also returning as Aunt Jet and Aunt Franny, two characters whose eccentric wisdom helped make the original film so memorable.
The new cast also includes Joey King, Maisie Williams, Lee Pace, Xolo Maridueña and Solly McLeod.
That means Practical Magic 2 isn’t merely revisiting Sally and Gillian.
It’s returning to the larger Owens family.
Sandra Bullock’s return feels especially meaningful
The sequel also marks an important moment in Bullock’s career.
After the 2022 film The Lost City, the actress stepped away from acting to focus on her family.
Then came an unimaginable personal loss.
Her longtime partner, photographer Bryan Randall, died in August 2023 after a private battle with ALS.
Bullock largely remained outside the Hollywood spotlight afterward.
Now, four years after her last major acting role, she is returning with one of the characters audiences have loved for nearly three decades. (instyle.com)
And she’s doing it beside Nicole Kidman.
Their friendship survived the decades too
One reason their reunion feels so natural may be that the affection between the actresses was never entirely manufactured for the camera.
Bullock has previously remembered having a wonderful time making the first movie with Kidman — particularly during the famous midnight margaritas sequence.
Kidman, meanwhile, confirmed years before production began that she and Bullock had found a reason to return to the characters.
“There’s a lot more to tell,” she said when discussing why another chapter finally made sense. (uploads-ssl.webflow.com)
Almost three decades after their first film, apparently there was.
From 1998 to 2026
The contrast between the old and new photographs tells much of the story.
In 1998, Bullock was 34 and Kidman was 31.
Today they’re 62 and 59.
Back then, Practical Magic was simply another Hollywood movie.
Today, it’s a piece of nostalgia for viewers who remember renting VHS tapes, walking through Blockbuster and discovering the Owens sisters for the first time.
That passage of time is part of what makes the sequel unusual.
Rather than replacing Sally and Gillian with younger actresses or rebooting their story from scratch, Hollywood brought the original women back.
They’re older.
Their characters are older.
And the story has moved forward with them.
One more trip to the Owens house
Fans won’t have long to wait to see what happened next.
Warner Bros. has scheduled Practical Magic 2 for theaters on September 18, 2026. (uploads-ssl.webflow.com)
Nearly three decades have passed since Sally and Gillian Owens first stood together on screen.
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman have gone on to win Oscars, raise families, experience extraordinary success and navigate profound personal changes.
And somehow, after all those years, they found their way back to each other.
The new premiere photographs capture that beautifully: Sandra Bullock at 62, Nicole Kidman at 59, holding hands again — with a little more life behind them, but still unmistakably the Owens sisters.
For more heartwarming stories about stars and their enduring bonds, check out how Lori Loughlin Is Back in the Spotlight – and Her ‘Full House’ Family Never Really Left Her Side, or read about a son who found His Father’s Wedding Ring Decades After He Lost It.
