Emma Stone Gives Long-Awaited Update On 'Cruella' Sequel

Emma Stone brought Cruella de Vil, the villain in '101 Dalmatians,' to life in Disney's live-action movie, 'Cruella,' in 2021. After the movie took the box office by storm, fans immediately demanded for a sequel. In fact, the film grossed $235.5 million worldwide from a budget estimated to be $100 million.

Although Disney confirmed a second 'Cruella' film was in the works, no information since has been released -- until now.

Emma Stone has broken her silence on the highly anticipated film, stating she hopes production starts “sooner rather than later.”

“We’ll see… it’s a work in progress,” Stone said while on the red carpet at the 2024 Palm Springs International Film Awards.

The actress told Variety that the sequel is still a "work in progress kind of thing going on."

"Yeah, we'll see what happens," she told the outlet before she was asked, "How much do you want to revisit that?"

Emma Stone responded with, "It's a blast. She's a blast. So yeah, we'll see. It's a very... it's a work in progress."

A few weeks ago, the 'Cruella' writer, Tony McNamara, spoke out, explaining what he would like to do for the next film. "It's kind of interesting that she ends the first movie, and she's got power, and she's got agency. It's sort of like, What does she do with that? And how in your life, if you suddenly get agency and power, do you exercise it? What are you looking for now?' he told ScreenRant.

"She had this sort of family-versus-past thing going on, [with] her made family. I guess [in] the second movie, I think that's an aspect that could be explored. If there was a second."

Just five weeks after the live-action film hit theaters in 2021, Disney confirmed a 'Cruella 2' was in the works.

“We are very pleased with Cruella’s box office success, in conjunction with its strong Disney+ Premier Access performance to date,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement at the time.

Adding, “The film has been incredibly well received by audiences around the world, with a 97% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes in addition to A’s in every demographic from CinemaScore on opening weekend, ranking it among the most popular of our live-action reimaginings. We look forward to a long run as audiences continue to enjoy this fantastic film.”

Patrick Whitesell, Executive Chairman of Endeavor spoke to Variety of the new deal, stating, “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,” Whitesell added. “We are proud to work alongside Emma [Stone] 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.”

A release date for a  'Cruella' sequel has not yet been announced.