Cruella De Vil is back to terrorize another generation (of both dogs and kids) in Disney’s latest live-action reimagining. Like Maleficent before it, Cruella promises to reveal the hitherto untold origin story of one of the meanest villainesses in the Mouse House’s pantheon, with Emma Stone stepping into the black-and-white-haired hag’s high heels. And earlier today, the studio finally unveiled our first proper look at the prequel via the trailer above.
Set in the fashion scene of 1970s London, Cruella follows Stone’s Estella De Vil as she’s hired by The Baroness (Emma Thompson), the fearsome head of a prestigious fashion house. But as the young woman’s ambition and obsession with fur, especially Dalmatian fur, grows, Estella will transform into the ruthless and terrifying legend known as Cruella.
Other familiar characters from previous versions of the tale will likewise feature. Paul Walter Hauser (Da 5 Bloods) and Joel Fry (Game of Thrones) are Cruella’s idiotic henchmen Horace and Jasper, while Emily Beecham is Anita and Dev Patel is Raj (a reimagined Roger), the owners of the Dalmatians that Cruella is destined to dognap. I, Tonya helmer Craig Gillespie, meanwhile, is in the director’s chair.
Stone has been attached to this project for five years now, beating out the likes of Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman to portray the iconic role. The Oscar-winning actress isn’t known for playing villains, either, so fans have been eager to get a glimpse at how she’s going to fair as one of the most evil antagonists in Disney history.
Of course, Glenn Close famously portrayed Cruella to great acclaim in the studio’s previous live-action reimaginings of their classic 1960s animation – 1996’s 101 Dalmatians and 2000’s 102 Dalmatians. And if you’re angry that she’s been cast aside for this new movie, don’t be, as she’s actually serving as an exec producer on the film.
Cruella is still on course to hit theaters on May 28th, though it’s heavily rumored to be released on Disney Plus instead.