Disney found blockbuster success in 2014 by telling the origin story of “Sleeping Beauty” villain Maleficent, starring Angelina Jolie, and now she is hoping to have similar luck withCruella, a deep dive into the younger days of the iconicOne Hundred and One Dalmatiansvillain Cruella de Vil. In a big win for Disney, Oscar winnerEmma Stoneis playing the baddie in a story set within the 1970s London punk scene.
Disney’s synopsis for Cruella reads: “In 1970s London, young fashion designer Estella de Vil becomes obsessed with dogs’ skins, especially Dalmatians, until she eventually becomes a ruthless and terrifying legend known as Cruella”.
Cruella is directed byCraig Gillespiein his follow-up project toI, Tonya, which won Allison Janney the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Joining Stone in the Cruella ensemble cast is Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, Emily Beecham, and Mark Strong.Glenn Close, who played Cruella de Vil in Disney’s1996 live-actionremake ofOne Hundred and One Dalmatians, serves as one of the executive producers.
Cruella is currently scheduled to open in theaters May 28 via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The release date could change because of the pandemic, but for now the movie remains dated for the 2021 summer movie season.
