Hide your dogs, because the fur-loving puppy-killer Cruella De Vil is back. Actress Emma Stone is confirmed to play the "devil woman" in Disney's upcoming live action film, Cruella.
Stone has played a range of well loved characters, from Skeeter Phelan in The Help to Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man, but playing a true villain is a bit of a departure for the actress. Glenn Close played Cruella De Vil in the 1996 version of 101 Dalmatians produced by John Hughes, so Stone has some big, fur-lined shoes to fill.
Hollywood Reporter first broke the story about the surprising casting choice, but it has since been confirmed by multiple news sources. Cruella will be based off the 1961 Disney classic 101 Dalmatians, and the film will focus around Cruella'sbackstory (kind of like Malificent) and how she came to be the fashion obsessed villainess/PETA's biggest nightmare.
The script is to be written by Kelly Marcel, who wrote the Mary Poppins inspired Disney film Saving Mr. Banks as well as the very-not-Disney film 50 Shades of Grey. Wow, what range.
After the success ofThe Jungle Book that came out this year, it looks like Disney will be following suit and releasing many more live action versions of their classic stories. According to Marie Claire, upcoming live actions flicks include Maleficent 2, a new Mary Poppins movie (starring Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda), and a Tim Burton directed Dumbo. However, Cruella is first on the docket, and so far speculation points to a release date next year.
If you want to get yourself pumped, remind yourself of Cruella's awesome theme song, but be warned. It will be stuck in your head pretty much all day.