Emma Stone's Live-Action Remake Of Disney Villain Gets Sequel Status From Director

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Emma Stone at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards at Royal Festival Hall, London

Published Jul 1, 2026, 6:03 PM EDT

Abigail is an editor for ScreenRant, currently writing and editing movie news. You may also have seen her thoughts on animated television, musical theater, and fantasy literature in Paste Magazine, Fantasy Hive, or The Oxford Blue. She has also written SR lists and op-eds covering movies, TV, and books as well. She is an English major through and through, having graduated with a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara and an MPhil from Oxford University.

If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will...

Emma Stone is only becoming more renowned. She is undeniably one of the greatest actors of her generation, securing her fifth acting Oscar nomination this year for her masterful performance in Bugonia, following her two wins for La La Land and Poor Things. But while the world may have already forgotten that she was also once Cruella, she could still return to this role.

Stone stars as the iconic Cruella De Vil in 2021's Cruella, a live-action reimagining-prequel to Disney's 101 Dalmatians, directed by Craig Gillespie. For years, reports have circled about a possible sequel. Now, responding to the question "Are we going to see a Cruella 2 at any point?" in an interview with The Playlist, Gillespie stated: "It's possible. That's going to be something else that's on the agenda."

Gillespie is currently riding the wave of Supergirl's release, as he directed the second movie installment of James Gunn's burgeoning DCU. Stone is one of the most in-demand stars in Hollywood, whose creative partnership with Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, Bugonia, The Favourite) has flourished in recent years, so any sequel plans would have to wait for her schedule to allow it.

Cruella was a refreshing entry in the era of Disney live-action reboots, being a new spin on its central character rather than a nearly shot-for-shot remake. Cruella follows aspiring fashion designer Estella (who later renames herself Cruella) in 1970s London, who becomes something of a vigilante, staging various stunts to showcase her boundary-pushing looks as she wages a battle of wits against the legacy designer The Baroness (Emma Thompson).

Emma Stone as Cruella de Vil in a red dress and wearing a mask in Cruella

Also starring Joel Fry and Kirby Howell-Baptiste, among others, the movie even scored an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design. Cruella grossed $233.5 million worldwide on an estimated budget of $100 million, making it a modest financial success, which was actually a huge achievement when it released theatrically in the immediate aftermath of COVID-19 lockdowns.

Not too long after, Cruella 2 was confirmed, though it has remained in development ever since. Stone affirmed her desire to return to Cruella as recently as 2024. Presumably, the sequel would continue to explore Cruella's fashion career and criminal pastimes. At one point, unconfirmed rumors spread across the internet that Taylor Swift was being courted for an antagonistic role — it is very unlikely that this will actually happen.

Stone is currently attached to Dave McCary's The Catch and an untitled Miss Piggy movie, both in development, while Gillespie also has additional projects in the works. But audiences may again appreciate Cruella coming to shake things up at Disney with her stunning and a "little bit mad" designs.

Cruella is available to stream on Disney+.