At long last, Emma Stone is doing something she’s never done before: go full-blown villain. Disney has just released the trailer for Cruella, their new live-action movie about the iconic 101 Dalmatians antagonist Cruella de Vil, and Stone slips into the titular role with plenty of panache. Watch it below.
In the video, Stone commits to the bit by playing up the camp icon’s over-the-top persona and establishing herself as a woman who shouldn’t be messed with. The Oscar-winning actress previously described Cruella as “punk rock”. Between the set design taking place in 1970’s London and her runway-ready gothic outfits, it looks like she was right to make that comparison.
Cruella will serve as a prequel to the events of 101 Dalmatians in the same way that Maleficent reimagined what happened before Sleeping Beauty. Make no mistake: Cruella de Vil is definitely a villain — she’s a wealthy fur heiress who uses the hides of dalmatian puppies for couture clothing, and her name literally has the word “evil” in it — but the film will likely pack a few comedic punches courtesy of Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya) who directed the feature. Emma Thompson, Paul Walter Hauser, and Joel Fry all star alongside Stone, too.
It’s hard to believe that Cruella has been in the works for over five years now — a lengthy stretch considering it’s a live-action remake, not an animated movie. Disney originally cast Stone in the lead role at the start of 2016. Back then, Lily James was getting read for the Cinderella spotlight, Emma Watson had not yet gone full princess in Beauty and the Beast, and the 2019 Dumbo remake was still a figment of Tim Burton’s imagination. So yeah, it’s been a while.
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Since signing on to make Cruella, Stone has starred in plenty of other movies, including La La Land, The Favourite, Battle of the Sexes, and Zombieland: Double Tap. She also hosted Saturday Night Live again, gaining her entry to the exclusive four-timers club and lifetime bragging rights.
