Back in 2016, news emerged that Emma Stone would play the iconic, fur-loving Cruella de Vil in Cruella, Disney’s live-action origin story for the villian. While no one ever doubted Stone’s acting skills, some did wonder how the funny, bright-eyed star of movies like Easy A and La La Land would gel with a character this, well, cruel. Now, Disney is offering an answer with its first look at Stone in costume, showing off the edgy, steam-punk direction of her character.
The official Walt Disney Studios social media account tweeted a picture of Stone on set on Saturday, showing off de Vil’s signature black-and-white hair—plus an updated wardrobe that includes a more modern leather jacket. “Here’s your first look at Emma Stone as Cruella de Vil in Disney’s Cruella,” Disney wrote, adding, “The film, also starring Emma Thompson, Paul Walter Hauser, and Joel Fry, comes to theaters May 28, 2021.”
The new movie will serve as a precursor to the 101 Dalmatians story and is supposed to follow de Vil’s early days in punky 1970s London, before she became an obsessive dog-napper. The original children’s book—written in 1956 by English novelist and playwright Dodie Smith—depicts de Vil as a mean heiress and former classmate of the dogs’ kind human owner, Mrs. Dearly. De Vil is supposed to have been a “menacing” student who got kicked out of school for drinking ink (hmm), so we’ll have to see how Stone brings that kind of unhinged energy to the screen.
Stone is taking the reins from powerhouse Glenn Close, who portrayed de Vil in Disney’s 1996 live-action version of the film. (There’s also the unforgettable animated cartoon, which came out in 1961.) It sounds like she has a ton of room to get creative during the production, which is being directed by I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie—we’ll be counting down to the premiere in the meantime.
