CinemaBlend participates in affiliate programs with various companies. We may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via links.
Walt Disney Studios kicked off an unusual summer season with fashion vengeance in Craig Gillespie’s Cruella. The live-action movie saw Emma Stone taking on the cold-hearted 101 Dalmatians character alongside Emma Thompson’s elite fashion designer and a punk-rock ‘70s setting. We previously heard that a Cruella sequel could be in the works, but now the movie is really moving forward as Stone signs on the dotted line with the House of Mouse.
Emma Stone will once again don the black and white wig and continue the intriguing origin story of the fashionista after striking a new deal with Disney, per a report from Deadline. This is especially great news for both the La La Land actress and the studio because the movie was one of many recent films subjected to the new hybrid Disney+ Premier Access and theatrical model.
The deal was struck amidst a sticky situation between Disney and Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson, who is suing the company for breaching their deal with the Marvel film’s simultaneous theatrical/streaming release in July. Emma Stone’s Cruella 2 agreement apparently will “mutually” benefit both the Oscar-winning actress and the studio.
A couple weeks ago, a report floated around involving Emma Stone “weighing her options” in terms of legal action against Walt Disney Studios following Scarlett Johansson’s shocking lawsuit. With Cruella 2 now on her schedule, it seems that any problems Stone may have had on the business side of things has been resolved.
Cruella is one of the more stylized and mature Disney live-action titles in recent memory. It explored the tragic backstory of Emma Stone’s villain whilst also showcasing some incredible fashion set pieces. We’d also hope to see Paul Walter Hauser and Joel Fry’s Horace and Jasper and Kirby Howell-Baptiste’s Anita Darling in the sequel. The trio of cast members did tell CinemaBlend back in May they’d be excited to explore their characters further.
The Cruella sequel has been in development at Disney since early June, with the first film’s co-writer Tony McNamara (who also worked on The Favourite and earned Emma Stone an Oscar nomination) once again involved along with Craig Gillespie helming the movie. Cruella was well-loved by critics and audiences alike and took home $221 million worldwide on a reported $100 million production budget.
Disney did not release the amount of money it collected in addition to box office over on Disney+ Premier Access, but one would assume Cruella was a big hit on both fronts if it’s already getting a second film. The movie cost $29.99 for Disney+ subscribers if they chose to skip theaters, or watch it again at home after the fact. Cruella is coming to Disney+ for free on August 27, among other exciting new titles to the streaming service.
