The film industry loves its adaptations, shared universes, remakes, and live-action versions of animated classics. As of late, Disney has taken some of its audience’s most-loved animated features and turned them into live-action movies, the latest of them being Cinderella, which was released last year and became another hit for the studio.
This year, the Mouse House will release their live-action take on The Jungle Book from director Jon Favreau, while continuing work on a long list of upcoming adaptations, such as Beauty and the Beast (aimed for a March 17, 2017 release), Dumbo, Mulan, and Cruella. Although the last three titles don’t have a release date yet, Cruella is a priority for the studio, which is why they are setting their eyes on Emma Stone for the main role.
THR shares that Emma Stone is in early negotiations to play one of Disney’s most iconic villains: Cruella de Vil. The studio is working on a re-imagining of the evil character that was introduced in 101 Dalmatians. Yes, the character who was obsessed with getting enough puppies to create a dalmatian-fur coat. Pure evil.
Even though there is no director attached to the project yet, the potential casting on Cruella might make it significantly more attractive, which is a good thing as Disney is reportedly hoping to start shooting the film later this year. Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada) worked on an early draft of the script, which is intended to be an origin story. More recently, Kelly Marcel (Saving Mr. Banks) was subsequently brought in to get the screenplay ready for filming.
While this will be the first time de Vil will play protagonist in the story, it will actually be the second time Disney has a live-action version of Cruella de Vil. As many will no doubt recall, Glenn Close portrayed the villainess in the 1996 adaptation of the animated film, which was directed by Stephen Herek and written by John Hughes, and she even reprised the role in the 2000 sequel, 102 Dalmatians.
Emma Stone’s latest credits include Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman (for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress), Cameron Crowe’s Aloha, and Woody Allen’s mystery drama Irrational Man. This year, she will be seen opposite her Gangster Squad co-star Ryan Gosling in the musical comedy-drama in La La Land. Given the kinds of roles Stone is normally associated with, Cruella represents a potential new step in her career as the main character in what could be a lucrative franchise. While Cruella doesn’t lend itself to the sort of fantastical world that Angelina Jolie inhabited in Maleficent, the recognizability of the character and, certainly, the studio behind de Vil’s previous incarnations, could mean the fur-loving dog-napper will be another box office success.
At the moment, Disney hasn’t shared many details on this Cruella de Vil origin story, but as they are already looking for their leading lady, it’s only a matter of time before they start sharing more information on what this movie will be like .
Screen Rant will keep you posted on further details regarding Cruella.
Source: THR
