When is the Cruella 2 release date? Cinderella. Beauty and the Beast. The Lion King. Disney has spent the last decade or so reimagining some of our childhood favorite Disney princesses for a new generation with live-action movie adaptations. When we first heard that the studio was making a Cruella movie, though, we thought it’d gone too far.
Cruella is one of the more reprehensible Disney movie villains who literally threatens to hurt puppies. We shouldn’t have doubted the House of Mouse, though, because they somehow managed to make Cruella a genuinely exciting and dramatic family movie without completely sanitizing the fashionable fiend.
It all comes down to a stunning lead performance from the incredibly talented Emma Stone. Stone’s sympathetic and sinister portrayal of Cruella bagged the movie fans the world over, and it raked in a tonne of cash. Unsurprisingly then, Disney greenlit a Cruella 2 soon after the first film’s release. Of course, though, we’ve got a few questions about Cruella’s second adventure, like when is the Cruella 2 release date? What will it be about? And which members of the cast are returning? Well, let’s take a look, darling.
Cruella 2 release date speculation
Cruella 2 was announced in June 2021, with Emma Stone signing on to star in August of that year. However, since then, things have gone very quiet, and realistically we likely won’t see Cruella 2 until 2024.
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that writing on the project wouldn’t begin until 2022 at the earliest, so given that timeframe, an early-to-mid-2024 release is as accurate an estimation as we can make.
Cruella 2 cast speculation
Most crucial to a new Cruella film is, would you believe, Cruella herself. After some very public negotiations in the wake of Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit with Disney, Emma Stone has agreed to star in Cruella 2.
The other Cruella alumni joining her in the sequel are the brains behind the first film – director Craig Gillespie (who is also responsible for I, Tonya and Lars and the Real Girl) and writer Tony McNamara (creator of The Great and co-writer of The Favourite).
Nobody else has been confirmed to return just yet, but it is expected that Paul Walter Hauser’s Horace and Joel Fry’s Jasper will make a return. Only time will tell if Emma Thompson’s Baroness will return. Perhaps her incarceration brought an end to her arc, but we could be surprised yet.
Cruella 2 plot speculation
Provided our favorite well-dressed baddie, The Baroness, makes it back for Cruella 2, we can expect the “vengeance” she screams out of the back of a police car at Cruella to come to fruition. She could be released from the big house (or even escape) in a bid to enact perfect revenge against her, with Cruella trying to avoid her downfall at the Baroness’ hands.
Alternatively, it could take us straight to the good bit with a direct prequel to, or another adaptation of, One Hundred and One Dalmatians. The first film’s post-credits scene sees Cruella gift Roger and Anita with Pongo and Perdita, the two central pets from the animated movie. Perhaps the new Cruella film could simply be One Hundred and One Dalmatians from her perspective, granting a new interpretation of the classic tale.
It’d be a bold move, as Cruella’s actions in that film are particularly grim, and it might cast away the audience’s loving connection to her that was forged in her origin story – but it could be just a bold enough idea to work. And it might just be precisely what director Craig Gillespie is looking for.
“I feel like we’ve only just met her. I’d love to now see the full-blown Cruella, fully loaded,” he said in an interview with Collider. “She’s managed to get the support system around her, and she can really expand on her brand. I’d love to see where that takes her and how you could almost destroy her from inside out if she’s not careful with all that power.”
That’s all we know about the Dalmatian deviant for now, but as soon as there’s any new information, we will be sure to keep you updated. For more Disney sequels, why not check out our guide to the Frozen 3 release date?
We’ve also got a guide on all the new movies you can watch in 2023, including the Barbie movie, Indiana Jones 5, and The Marvels. Finally, you need to check out our list of the best movies ever made.
