A sequel hitting theaters 20 years after the original film's release always makes you wonder why the studio decided now was the right time to revisit a certain universe or set of characters. It happens plenty, especially in recent years with the continued dependence on established properties, but it's always a risk for a studio. Is there still an audience? A lot can change in two decades - will anyone still care? Luckily, a film like "The Devil Wears Prada" has only grown in its stature, so "The Devil Wears Prada 2" shouldn't have a hard time getting people to theaters.
When the original film, based on the novel by Lauren Weisberger, was released in 2006, it was a hit. The movie made $326 million at the global box office, but its endurance over the last 20 years is the true test of its strength. Plenty of movies can rake in the cash at the box office but be forgotten once the credits roll. Not "The Devil Wears Prada."
In 2006, Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) had dreams of being a journalist in New York City. She stumbled into the fashion magazine Runway, run by the tyrannical editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), where she sort-of interviewed for an assistant position. She would be working alongside the tightly wound Emily (Emily Blunt), who immediately knew Andy was not the right fit for Runway and Miranda would eat her alive. So did Miranda's right hand Nigel (Stanley Tucci), but he was a little more delicate in his delivery.
"The Devil Wears Prada 2" is very much set two decades from when the first took place. It's so set in the present day that it makes the first film look like a fairytale. Back then, Andy could work at a job she wasn't happy with in the hopes it would parlay into more "serious journalism" based on the connections she may make. The thing about "The Devil Wears Prada 2" is it goes to great lengths to hammer home one simple question: What journalism?
As the movie opens, Andy is accepting an award for her newspaper reporting. Just as her name is announced as the winner, she and all her colleagues receive a text that they have all lost their jobs. Andy has wanted to be a journalist forever and she was finally doing work that she was proud of, and it's all taken away. She gets a call that Runway needs a features editor, so back to Miranda's office she goes.
Runway is facing all the challenges most publications are facing in the real world today. From budget constraints to shrinking audiences and having to pivot to easily digested forms of content, it's a new world that Miranda is forced to live in. Her new assistant Amari (Simone Ashley) isn't quite as fast to curtsy in Miranda's direction as Andy and Emily were 20 years ago. She sits dutifully by her side, letting her know what she can and cannot say in today's world. An article was run in Runway that caused a great deal of controversy, so Miranda has to learn about making nice with those her publication offended. Of course, she starts with their main advertiser - Dior - which is being run by Emily.
There's a lot going on at times during "The Devil Wears Prada 2," but the movie's primary focus is reminding its audience that times have changed. The world's attention span has gotten smaller and the way media is consumed must be done faster. It's the sad reality the world operates in, but "The Devil Wears Prada 2" can feel like a eulogy that has been given many times before.
But, the glitz and glamor are on full display and that's what will sell most of the tickets. The returning cast (along with many familiar famous faces) are all luminous in their roles, which helped drive the success of the first movie. Streep's performance as Miranda, which earned her one of her many Oscar nominations, has become one of the most iconic characters in recent film memory. Her easy dismissal and her biting delivery of something as simple as "That's all" made you want to sit up straight in your theater chair. Miranda certainly has retained some of her signature attitude from the first movie, but she's on the ropes this time around. Miranda's fangs are always out but in "The Devil Wears Prada 2" they are a bit dulled in returning screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna's script (David Frankel also returns as director).
"The Devil Wears Prada 2" had the unenviable task of standing up against the 2006 film, which is one of the great studio comedies of the 21st century. Like a respectful sequel, especially one with so much time in between, "The Devil Wears Prada 2" calls back to key moments from the first movie. It's a lot of the new stuff that can bog everything down.
| Movie title | The Devil Wears Prada 2 |
|---|---|
| Release year | 2026 |
| MPAA Rating | PG-13 |
| Our rating | |
| Summary | This sequel to the now-classic 2006 workplace comedy brings back the original cast, who are all great here, but it’s a follow up that hammers home a message heard many times before. |