Well, that is definitely Emma Stone as Cruella de Vil, isn’t it?
The image above is, of course, the first picture we have seen from Craig Gillespie’s (I, Tonya, Lars and the Real Girl) upcoming Cruella, which is yet another live-action take on a Disney property. The image popped up at Disney’s D23 Expo, which is absolutely owning all the headlines this weekend. You’ll notice both Paul Walker Hauser and Joel Fry on either side of Stone, portraying perfect henchmen. This looks like an album cover, doesn’t it?
I personally scoffed at the idea of a Cruella de Vil origin movie but honestly I’m really into the picture above. Stone is without a doubt one of the best actresses alive and the image gives off a vibe that I dig. Disney is pitching the movie as a 1970s origin story with a serious punk rock attitude. That pitch, matched with Gillespie’s previous work and Stone’s reliability makes me, dare I say, excited for this film? You got me, Disney. You finally got me.
One of the the other aspects that attracts me to Cruella is the fact that it’s not just a straight-up remake, like The Lion King, Aladdin and many, many other Disney live-action re-dos. Instead this is an original story, a prequel to 101 Dalmatians. That means this film could feel new, unique, necessary. I didn’t get that feeling from other recent Disney live-action films. Cruella is taking an existing property and expanding it, not just remaking it.
So color me surprised. I didn’t expect to be won over for Cruella but this image is going a long way to get me on board. Now let’s just convince the woman to use imitation fur, for God’s sake.