What To Expect From Cruella 2

Disney's Cruella is the 101 Dalmatians' villainess origin story and it sets up a sequel. Here's everything we know about when Cruella 2 will release.

Two years after the Disney movie proved to be a hit, fans are still waiting for any Cruella 2 updates. Directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Emma Stone as Estella a.k.a. Cruella de Vil, Cruella simultaneously serves as the origin story for the classic 101 Dalmatians villainess and lays the groundwork for a new live-action franchise. The movie sets up multiple potential sequels and spinoffs, including a 101 Dalmatians remake and a direct sequel.

Set in the late 1970s, Cruella details how a young orphan named Estella rose to become the black and white-haired fashion icon and master criminal who loves fur but despises dalmatians due to a traumatic childhood experience. The film delves into Cruella de Vil's backstory, completes Estella's Joker-like transformation into Cruella de Vil, and leaves the door wide open for the next chapter. Although there are many directions the franchise can take, Cruella 2 is officially moving forward as the continuation of the first movie. Here's all the Cruella 2 updates thus far.

Cruella 2 Latest News

There haven't been many Cruella 2 updates recently which might be cause for concern among fans who fear the sequel will not actually happen. However, the last word on it has been promising with actor Paul Walter Hauser, who played Horace in the first movie, suggesting the start of production was not far off. Hauser claims writer Tony McNamara is working on the script and things are waiting on the schedules of director Craig Gillespie and star Emma Stone, but reveals he was told to expect filming to start in 2023 (via Forbes). Though no such news has been made official from the studio, it offers a bit more hope for fans

Is Cruella 2 Officially Happening?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney is moving forward with Cruella 2 after the first movie's satisfying performance at the box office and Disney+ Premier Access, as well as its positive reception from critics and audiences alike. This comes as good news for Disney+ and fans of Cruella, as the 2020 conflict between Scarlett Johansson and Disney over the hybrid release of Black Widow had cast some doubts over the possibility of Emma Stone appearing in a future Disney+ release.

The favorable reviews Cruella received are a good sign that audiences are interested in following her story in a direct sequel, a spinoff, or perhaps a 101 Dalmatians movie. Cruella certainly lays the groundwork for another film and has a mid-credits scene that teases 101 Dalmatians down the road.

Cruella 2 Release Date Info

While it didn't take long for Disney to greenlight a Cruella sequel, Cruella 2 still doesn't have an official release date. The news of filming potentially happening in 2023 offers the hope that fans might see Cruella 2 by the end of 2024. Of course, with the Writer's Guild of America strike leading to multiple delays, virtually every Hollywood production is up in the air at the moment.

Cruella 2 Cast

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Nothing has been made official beyond the original sequel announcement, but everyone can expect most of the Cruella original cast to return for Cruella 2. Obviously, this means Oscar-winner Emma Stone will be back in the titular role which won her high praise from critics and gave the perfect central performance for the movie. Paul Walter Hauser has seemingly confirmed that he will return as Horace which means it is likely Joseph Fry will be back as his partner in crime, Jasper as well. Diving more into the 101 Dalmatians story, Kayvan Novak and Kirby Howell-Baptiste could also return as Roger and Anita Darling respectively. Emma Thompson's villainous Baroness could also be back after vowing revenge on Cruella as she was taken to priso

If Disney finds a way to jump back and forward in time to narrate different moments of Cruella's life in the sequel, Glenn Close could reprise her role as older Cruella and both Tipper Seifert-Cleveland and Billie Gadsdon could return as the younger versions of the villain at different points in her life. Similarly, Emily Beecham could come back in a flashback as Catherine Miller, Stella's adoptive mother. While the sequel also has plenty of leeway to introduce new characters, fans would absolutely expect to see more dalmatians in Cruella 2 as well — namely, Pongo and Perdita.

Cruella 2 Story: Not Just 101 Dalmatians

The 2021 movie was always intended to be Cruella's origin story. Cruella details how the orphaned Estella transformed herself into Cruella de Vil and supplanted Baroness von Hellman as an iconic fashion designer, but now that her character is established, the villain is just getting started. Cruella 2 can now show her taking over the fashion world while continuing her life as a notorious criminal.

Cruella 2 could remake/reboot 101 Dalmatians from Cruella's perspective, or it could take the elements introduced in the first film and tell an original story about Cruella and her accomplices that further establishes de Vil's hatred of dalmatians, which isn't yet deep enough to warrant the events of 101 Dalmatians. Meanwhile, Emma Stone and Emma Thompson have also suggested their idea that Cruella 2 could take a cue from The Godfather Part II as a combined prequel/sequel that bounces back and forth from the Baroness's origin and Cruella's new adventure

This would present the opportunity to bring back Glenn Close's iconic performance from Disney's early 2000s movies alongside Emma Stone's reimagining. Taking these possibilities into account, it's likely that Disney will take some liberties regarding 101 Dalmatians canon to accommodate new stories