Credit: 20th Century StudiosThe Walt Disney Company is all out of ideas that aren’t sequels, so you know what that means: The Devil Wears Prada 2.
Deadline reports that a sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, the 2006 film starring Anne Hathaway in her breakout adult role and Meryl Streep in yet another Academy Award-nominated part, is currently in the works at Disney.
The original film, based on the 2003 novel by Lauren Weisberger, was originally produced by 20th Century Fox; since that company has since been absorbed by the Mouse, largely for its X-Men and Simpsons IP as well as a big chunk of Hulu, it belongs to Disney’s ever-expanding slate of sequels.
Aline Brosh McKenna, the screenwriter of the first film, is reportedly attached to the upcoming sequel; in subsequent years, she has become known for co-creating the critically acclaimed musical comedy-drama My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and scripting numerous other movies. Director David Frankel is apparently also in talks to return.
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It is currently unknown whether Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, or Emily Blunt are in discussions for the sequel, but it would be pretty hard to make The Devil Wears Prada 2 without at least one of them.
The original film followed Andy Sachs (Hathaway), an aspiring journalist who stumbles into an assistant role to Miranda Priestly (Streep), a legendary fashion magazine editor generally assumed to be based on US Vogue editor Anna Wintour. Blunt starred as Emily Charlton, a fellow assistant at the magazine.
The Devil Wears Prada was a major success, grossing $326 million worldwide and currently holds 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was nominated for numerous awards, but plans for a proper film sequel have stalled for years. A TV version of the story has reportedly been in conversations for years, while a musical adaptation has gone through the workshop stages.
Lauren Weisberger wrote a 2013 sequel titled Revenge Wears Prada and another titled When Life Gives You Lululemons was published in 2018, but it does not appear that the in-development Disney sequel will follow its plot.
In a 15th anniversary look at the movie, David Frankel openly admitted that Fox had no interest in a sequel, saying:
“[Fox] didn’t ask for [a sequel]. We had a meeting where we said, “What could we do if there was a sequel?” Maybe it was stupid; we felt like, No, this story has been told… Lauren eventually wrote another book following up 15 years later. We came to the same conclusion that just following the characters wouldn’t be the same.”
Both Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep have expressed disinterest in returning to their characters, with the former telling The View, “I don’t know if there can be [a sequel]. I just think that movie was in a different era. Now everything’s gone so digital and that movie is centered around the concept of producing a physical thing and it’s just, it’s just very different.”
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On the other hand, Emily Blunt is up for whatever:
However, the film industry has changed a lot since then and now Disney, caught in fit of sequelmania that will dominate its destiny for years to come, is calling the shots. Notably, numerous people involved with the first movie have deep ties to Disney.
Emily Blunt recently starred in Mary Poppins Returns (2018) and Jungle Cruise (2021), while Anne Hathaway has confirmed that The Princess Diaries 3 is in development. For her part, Aline Brosh McKenna co-wrote the live-action “reimagining” Cruella (2021), and, you guessed it, a sequel to that one is currently in the works too.
Puck reports that The Devil Wears Prada 2 will involve Miranda Priestly struggling in a dying magazine industry while Emily Charlton has now become a high-powered executive who could save her if only she could get over years of abuse by her former boss. Presumably, Andy Sachs will die on her way back to her home planet.
Do you think The Devil Wears Prada needs a sequel, or is Disney just that desperate?