Get ready for more iconic looks from the one and only Cruella. Emma Stone will return for the Cruella sequel after the success of the first prequel movie. The 2021 movie recently took home the Oscar for Best Achievement in Costume Design.
Emma closed a deal to reprise the role of Cruella back in August 2021, according to Deadline. The live-action Cruella was released on May 18, 2021, in both theaters and on Disney+ via Premier Access due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cruella was a triumph for this hybrid format. Endeavor executive chairman Patrick Whitesell, who works with the Oscar winner, released a statement about Emma’s Cruella 2 deal when the sequel was announced.
“While the media landscape has been disrupted in a meaningful way for all distributors, their creative partners cannot be left on the sidelines to carry a disproportionate amount of the downside without the potential for upside,” he said. “This agreement demonstrates that there can be an equitable path forward that protects artists and aligns studios’ interests with talent. We are proud to work alongside Emma and Disney, and appreciate the studio’s willingness to recognize her contributions as a creative partner. We are hopeful that this will open the door for more members of the creative community to participate in the success of new platforms.”
Now that Cruella 2 is confirmed, fans have a lot of questions. When will it be released? Who else is returning? HollywoodLife has all the latest news and updates about the movie.
‘Cruella 2’ Cast & Crew
Cruella made a splash with critics and fans. The film has a 74% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a whopping 97% audience score. Despite being released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access, Cruella made over $233 million at the box office and $54 million in PVOD viewership.
The film is a prequel to 101 Dalmatians and the origin story of iconic Disney villain Cruella de Vil, who was first made famous by Glenn Close. Cruella is set in 1970s London amidst the punk rock movement. Before Cruella was Cruella, she was Estella, an aspiring fashion designer. Estella begins working for Baroness von Hellman, a haute couture fashion designer, and goes on a journey to find out the truth about what happened to her mother, Catherine, years ago.
Estella creates the alter ego of “Cruella” to taunt the Baroness and begins to rise as one of London’s newest and hottest fashion designers. Estella soon learns that her biological mother is actually the Baroness, who ordered her valet, John, to kill her daughter so she could keep her career and late husband’s inheritance. John gave the baby to Catherine, who was a maid for the Baroness. Estella eventually confronts the Baroness, who pushes Estella over a cliff at Hellman Hall.
Estella survives the fall, having planned all of this from the beginning. Estella emerges as Cruella as the Baroness is being taken away in handcuffs. Cruella takes over Hellman Hall and renames the manor Hell Hall. Cruella is just the beginning for the legendary villainess. A post-credits scene reveals Anita Darling and Roger Dearly getting two Dalmatian puppies we all know and love from Cruella: Perdita and Pongo.
Emma is the only confirmed cast member for Cruella 2, but it’s highly likely most of the original cast will return. Joel Fry and Paul Walter Hauser’s characters, Jasper and Horace, are Cruella’s longtime henchmen, so it would be a shock if they didn’t return. Mark Strong could also return as John since the character was still living at Hell Hall at the end of the movie. Kirby Howell-Baptiste should have an even bigger role in the Cruella sequel as Anita Darling, along with Kayvan Novak as Roger. In Cruella, Anita works as a gossip columnist and helps increase Cruella’s popularity. Anita was also one of Estella’s childhood classmates.
As for Emma Thompson, the Baroness may be in prison, but she’s likely not going to go away quietly. “I’ll get even,” the Baroness tells Cruella after she’s arrested. The Baroness is ruthless and isn’t done with Cruella just yet.
When it comes to the crew, those names haven’t been officially announced either. Craig Gillespie directed Cruella, with Dana Fox and Tony McNamara penning the screenplay.
‘Cruella 2’ Plot Details
Cruella 2 is technically a sequel to the 101 Dalmatians prequel. An official plotline has not been revealed just yet, but the sequel is likely going to explore the next chapter of Cruella’s journey now that she’s fully embraced her wicked persona. Cruella’s continued rise as a fashion designer could also be a focal point. You know what’s a sure thing? More epic style moments from Cruella.
Anita and Roger still have to get together like they do in 101 Dalmatians. While the Baroness is in jail at the moment, she could find herself coming face-to-face with Cruella one last time. Plus, what would happen if the Baroness learned the truth about Cruella? That would be one juicy story. How far would Cruella go to protect her secret? Could she prove to be more like her mother than she wants to believe?
Release Date
Cruella 2 does not have a release date. The movie has not started filming yet. Emma is gearing up to begin filming a Showtime series called The Curse, which is going into production before the Cruella sequel. It’s looking like Cruella 2 won’t be hitting theaters until 2023 at the earliest.