Emma Stone’s Cruella 2 Release Buzz Returns as She Stuns in Louis Vuitton at the 2026 BAFTAs
Fresh chatter around Disney’s long-gestating sequel to Cruella suggests the project is moving again, even as the studio has yet to set a production date. Emma Stone, meanwhile, made a high-profile appearance at the 2026 British Academy Film Awards in London in a custom Louis Vuitton gown, underscoring the competing timelines in her career.
New reports describe movement behind the scenes on the Cruella sequel
Recent reporting has reignited interest in the future of the fashion-forward villain, saying discussions about timelines and next steps are beginning to take clearer shape. One report quoted optimistic language: “Odds are good, the creatives and talent want to do it, the studio wants to do it, and it is all about getting the script and scheduling right. ” That same report added, “I bet we will see it in the next couple of years. ”
Emma Stone’s public comments and Disney’s early development confirmation
Emma Stone has publicly addressed the sequel’s status. At the 2024 Palm Springs International Film Awards she said filming would begin “hopefully sooner rather than later, ” called reprising the role “a blast, ” and added, “We’ll see… it’s a work in progress. ” Before Cruella’s second weekend in theaters, Disney confirmed it was developing a sequel, and a Disney spokesperson said, “We are very pleased with Cruella’s box office success, in conjunction with its strong Disney+ Premier Access performance to date. ”
Why Disney and talent are still lining up script and schedule
Insiders say the studio and key talent want to proceed with a sequel, but that progress hinges on completing the script and aligning schedules. Disney has not announced an official production date for the sequel. The original film, released in 2021, starred Emma Stone as the iconic Disney villain and served as an origin story set before the events of 101 Dalmatians. The film is currently available for streaming on Disney+.
Emma Stone at the 2026 BAFTAs: a custom Louis Vuitton moment
On Sunday at the British Academy Film Awards in London, Emma Stone wore a floor-length custom Louis Vuitton black gown with a halter neckline and a large keyhole cutout that showed off most of her torso. The skirt fell into a train behind her and revealed strappy sandal heels in front. She wore her hair up in a soft updo with pieces left down to frame her face, paired with black eyeliner, a soft pink lip, diamond stud earrings and a matching diamond bracelet.
Nominations, awards and recent reflections on work and family
Stone is nominated in the Best Actress category at the BAFTAs for Yorgos Lanthimos’s Bugonia and has also been nominated in the Best Actress category for the upcoming Oscars. She has won two Oscars: first for La La Land and later for Lanthimos’s 2023 film Poor Things. In a 2025 interview ahead of Bugonia’s release she said, “The more challenging it gets, the more I like it, ” adding that without growth people “get stagnant. ” She spoke about welcoming her daughter, Louise Jean, with husband Dave McCary in 2021, saying, “There’s nothing I feel luckier about. She’s the greatest gift of my life, for sure. ” She continued, “It’s streamlined everything. It’s a clichéd thing to say, but it changes everything. And simplifies everything... I do think it unlocks different things. I don’t know if it’s specifically that, but I feel everything I could possibly feel, because everything has exploded. ”
Where things stand: no production date but active interest
Between renewed industry chatter, public comments from Emma Stone at the 2024 Palm Springs International Film Awards, Disney’s earlier development confirmation and the studio’s praise for the original film’s audience reception, momentum appears to exist even if a start date does not. For now, the sequel’s fate comes down to finishing the script and finding a schedule that works for the creatives and the studio.
