From ‘Heathers’ to ‘Practical Magic 2,’ Denise Di Novi Keeps Her Filmmaking Personal — SkimNews
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- Denise Di Novi made her solo producing debut in 1989 with 'Heathers,' securing a $2 million budget from New World Pictures on the condition she cast Winona Ryder
- Di Novi partnered with director Tim Burton after Ryder introduced them at the Sunset Marquis, producing 'Edward Scissorhands,' 'Batman Returns,' and 'Ed Wood' together
- 'Practical Magic 2' reunites Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman after Warner boss Pam Abdy 'educated everybody at Warners and fought to get the movie made,' with author Alice Hoffman having already written a sequel novel
- Di Novi produced 2004's 'Catwoman,' which she says was 'decimated beyond belief' at release but has since been embraced by Gen Z via streaming and TikTok
- Di Novi made her directing debut with 2017's 'Unforgettable' starring Rosario Dawson and Katherine Heigl after a director dropped out, later directing episodes of 'Outlander' and 'Ray Donovan'
- Halle Berry, who starred in 'Catwoman,' gave Di Novi advice about coping with rejection: 'You have to just look at how you experience the process of making it'
Why it matters: Di Novi's career illustrates how producer-driven sequels can improve on originals—IndieWire's Alison Foreman called 'Practical Magic 2' 'spellbinding and heartbreaking'—while initially reviled films like 'Catwoman' can find redemption with new audiences, a vindication Di Novi explicitly attributes to streaming and TikTok fandoms discovering decades-old work.
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