It was reported two months ago that Disney was in the early stages of developing a Cruella sequel. Director Craig Gillespie and screenwriter Tony McNamara were expected to return for the next installment of Cruella’s story, but when rumblings emerged that Emma Stone might follow in the footsteps of Scarlett Johansson by filing a lawsuit against Disney, it wasn’t certain whether or not she’d be back for Cruella 2. Fans can now lay those worries to rest as Deadline has reported that Emma Stone has now closed a deal to star in Cruella 2.
As the project is still in the early stages, it’s now known if Cruella 2 will debut exclusively in theaters or stick with the simultaneous release plan that the original took, but Deadline has heard that Stone’s deal will “mutually benefit” both sides regardless of which avenue is taken. Patrick Whitesell, Executive Chairman of Stone’s agency, said that the deal charts a new path for talent in the streaming era.
While the media landscape has been disrupted in a meaningful way for all distributors, their creative partners cannot be left on the sidelines to carry a disproportionate amount of the downside without the potential for upside. This agreement demonstrates that there can be an equitable path forward that protects artists and aligns studios’ interests with talent. We are proud to work alongside Emma and Disney, and appreciate the studio’s willingness to recognize her contributions as a creative partner. We are hopeful that this will open the door for more members of the creative community to participate in the success of new platforms.
While speaking with Collider earlier this summer, Craig Gillespie said that he feels like “we’ve only just met [Cruella]” and would love to “see the full-blown Cruella, fully loaded” in Cruella 2. “She’s managed to get the support system around her and she can really expand on her brand,” Gillespie said. “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.” Cruella is now playing in theaters and on Disney+ Premier.