We’re getting a Cruella movie because it’s time to expand upon the iconic song lyric “If she doesn’t scare you, then no evil will.” Yes, Cruella de Vil, one of Disney’s most stylish and iconic villains, is getting her own time in the spotlight.
In recent years, Disney’s shown a tendency to remake some of its all-time classics, including the Lion King, Aladdin and Mulan, to name a few. This time, we’re learning the origin story behind the fur-obsessed villain from 101 Dalmatians.
Disney originally announced a live action Cruella De Vil movie all the way back in 2013. Three years later, Disney shared that Emma Stone was cast to play the title character. And now, with the release of the official trailer, we can tell that Cruella will present the classic Disney villain in a more Maleficent-esque way.
If you’re curious to find out more about Cruella, we’ve gathered everything you need to know about the upcoming movie, including the release date, cast, trailer analysis and more.
Cruella movie release date
Almost eight years after Disney’s initial announcement, we finally have a release date. As confirmed in a recent trailer, Cruella will hit US and UK cinemas on May 28, 2021.
The film was originally due to be released in December 2020, but this was pushed back due to the pandemic. However, as revealed at Disney’s most recent Investor Day event, Cruella is still planned to be a cinematic release and not on Disney Plus.
Cruella movie cast
Back in 2016, it was announced that none other than the La La Land star, Emma Stone herself, will portray Cruella de Vil, one of the most iconic villains in the Disney universe.
Disney later announced that the Oscar winner will also be joined by fellow Academy Award winner Emma Thompson, who plays another lead role as the Baroness.
According to IMDB, the remaing cast is listed as follows:
- Mark Strong as Boris
- Paul Walter Hauser as Horace
- Emily Beecham as Anita
- Joel Fry as Jasper
- Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Tabitha
- Jamie Demetriou as Gerald
- Tony McCarthy as Buddus Gang Inmate
- John McCrea as Artie
Cruella movie trailer
The official trailer for Cruella was released on February 17, 2021. Since then, it’s amassed almost 10 million views on YouTube.
Initially, the trailer shows a young red-haired Cruella de Vil walking into a clothing shop in 1970’s Central London, where she presumably meets The Baroness. However, as the video progresses, we see Cruella slowly descend into madness, appearing more eccentric and rocking her iconic black-and-white look at what appears to be a high society event.
Things also appear to not go so well for Cruella, considering the trailer includes several shots of her hot-wiring a car and engaging in a high-speed car chase. Not to mention the shots of her speeding away on a motor scooter and crying.
Cruella movie plot
According to Disney’s announcement, the Cruella movie is set in 1970s’ London “amidst the punk rock revolution,” where a con artist, Estella (portrayed by Emma Stone), is “determined to make a name for herself with her designs.”
The young girl makes friends with a couple of thieves, who share her “appetite for mischief.” This lovely group then go on to live their adventurous lives in London.
“One day, Estella’s flair for fashion catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman, a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute. But their relationship sets in motion a course of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable and revenge-bent Cruella,” the synopsis reads.
And while it’s already been confirmed that the new Cruella movie will be a prequel to 101 Dalmatians as opposed to a reboot, Disney hasn’t yet clarified the timeline. Judging by the significantly older version of Cruella that we see in 101 Dalmatians, the new Cruella could be at least 20 years apart from the original animated Disney’s movie.
If that’s the case, it is highly unlikely that we see any appearances of our beloved characters like Roger, Pongo, Perdita and their adorable 15 puppies. What’s curious is that the list of cast includes Emily Beecham as Anita (one of the main characters from 101 Dalmatians), so we’re not entirely sure if Disney is indeed going to connect the plots in the new movie.
Cruella movie crew
Seeing how the role of Cruella simply screams fashion, we weren’t surprised to hear that Aline Brosh McKenna, a screenwriter from Devil Wears Prada, wrote an early draft of the script before passing it on to Kelly Marcel (Fifty Shades of Grey).
The screenplay writing was later handed over to Jez Butterworth (Ford v Ferrari), Dana Fox (How to Be Single), Steve Zissis (Togetherness) and Tony McNamara (The Favourite).
According to an announcement from December 2018, the Cruella movie is directed by Craig Gillespie, director of I, Tonya. It was also confirmed that the film is produced by Kristin Burr (Christopher Robin, 2018), along with Marc Platt (La La Land, 2016) and Andrew Gunn.
Cruella movie memes
What’s even better is the reception it received on Twitter, with many users highlighting Cruella’s similarity to Harley Quinn and even 2019’s Joker:
Joker (2019) dir. Todd Phillips || Cruella (2021) dir. Craig Gillespie pic.twitter.com/Bfe4ipZmemFebruary 20, 2021
Some viewers had trouble with the trailer, particularly how it appeared to try to humanize a villain who in other adaptations quite literally wanted to, well, kill puppies:
DISNEY EXEC #1: Our live action remakes have been performing well and Maleficent has proven there’s an audience for rehabilitating a female villain!DISNEY EXEC #2: Great, so which villain are we going to do next?DISNEY EXEC #1: The dog murderer.February 17, 2021
Although most things remain unclear, we know one thing for a fact – Emma Stone’s character will steal the show with Cruella’s eccentric fashion taste and an obvious love for glamour.
