The Devil Wears Prada 2
2026 film by David Frankel
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The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a 2026 American comedy drama film directed by David Frankel and written by Aline Brosh McKenna. A sequel to the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada, it sees Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci reprising their roles, with Justin Theroux and Kenneth Branagh joining as new additions.
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by Lauren Weisberger
| The Devil Wears Prada 2 | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | David Frankel |
| Written by | Aline Brosh McKenna |
| Based on | Characters by Lauren Weisberger |
| Produced by | Wendy Finerman |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Florian Ballhaus |
| Edited by | Andrew Marcus |
| Music by | Theodore Shapiro |
Production company | Wendy Finerman Productions |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Studios |
Release dates |
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Running time | 119 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $100 million[2] |
| Box office | $47[3] |
Despite the success of The Devil Wears Prada, starring cast members Streep and Hathaway were initially hesitant on the prospects of a sequel. Development on the film began in July 2024, with all four leading actors – Streep, Hathaway, Blunt, and Tucci – signing on to reprise their roles, and Frankel and McKenna returning to direct and write, respectively. Additional castings for new characters were revealed between then and November 2025. Principal photography took place from June to October 2025 in Manhattan and Milan, with additional filming in Newark, New Jersey.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 premiered on April 20, 2026, in New York, and was released in theaters in the United States by 20th Century Studios on May 1, 2026. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.
Plot
Two decades after the events of the first film, Andrea "Andy" Sachs is a respected reporter in New York. However, her entire newsroom is abruptly laid off by text during an awards gala.
Andy lucks into a job with her old boss at Runway magazine, Miranda Priestly. Miranda is under fire for failing to vet a puff piece about a brand that uses sweatshop labor. To improve the magazine's respectability, Miranda's boss Irv forces her to hire Andy as the features editor. Miranda resents the intrusion.
An uncharacteristically listless Miranda has trouble navigating modern fashion media. Although some of her tyrannical office behaviors remain, HR complaints have blunted her imperiousness. Miranda’s right-hand man Nigel explains that nobody reads Runway’s print edition anymore. To pay the bills, the once-perfectionist Miranda has to embrace online clickbait and cheaply-made short-form video content. Andy writes serious articles, but few people read them. She also finds a new boyfriend, Peter.
After the sweatshop scandal, Miranda tries to win back the trust of her advertisers. One key advertiser is Dior, which employs Andy’s haughty former coworker Emily. During a testy negotiation, Andy senses tension between Miranda and Emily, whose company raises prices and shuts out middle-class consumers.
Andy rescues her standing at Runway by brokering a coveted interview with Sasha Barnes, the wealthy divorcee of a Silicon Valley billionaire. Irv promises to promote Miranda to the head of global content for his entire media company, but dies before he can make the promotion official. His son Jay lacks Irv’s sentimental attachment to either fashion or Runway, puts Miranda’s promotion on hold, and hires management consultants to recommend cost cuts. Miranda is forced to fly economy class. To Andy’s surprise, Miranda bears with it. Andy jeopardizes her new relationship when she accidentally insults Peter's job while fretting about the potential loss of her own job.
During Milan Fashion Week, Nigel throws what may be his last big Runway gala, starring Lady Gaga. Andy comes up with a plan to save Runway by convincing a wealthy patron to buy it from Jay. The patron is Benji, Sasha’s ex-husband and Emily’s current boyfriend. When Andy and Emily reveal the plan, Miranda is furious, as she knows Emily would only buy Runway to fire her. Miranda admits that she pushed Emily out of fashion journalism because Emily lacks creative vision. At a gala dinner, Benji tells Miranda of his own vision for an AI-driven world. He says he has accepted that humanity will lose many beautiful traditions. Miranda finds this unbearable.
To prevent Benji and Emily from destroying Runway, Miranda directs Andy to find a competing buyer. Sasha outbids her ex-husband and gives Miranda the promotion Irv promised her. Andy reconciles with Peter and the defeated Emily. Nigel reveals he, not Irv, brought her back to Runway, as he always liked her. Miranda finally admits to Andy that Andy’s idealism inspired her to fight back for Runway. She gives Andy a much nicer office and returns to work with a renewed imperiousness.
Cast
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- Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, the director of the monthly magazine Runway[4]
- Anne Hathaway as Andrea "Andy" Sachs, a journalist and Miranda's former second assistant who becomes the new Features Editor at Runway[4]
- Emily Blunt as Emily Charlton,[4] Miranda's former first assistant, who is now a senior executive at Dior
- Stanley Tucci as Nigel Kipling, Miranda's longtime right hand[4]
- Justin Theroux as Benji Barnes, Emily's boyfriend[5][6][7]
- Kenneth Branagh as Stuart, Miranda's new husband[8][7]
- Tracie Thoms as Lily, Andy's friend[5]
- Tibor Feldman as Irv Ravitz, Runway chairman[5]
- Simone Ashley as Amari Mari, Miranda's current first assistant[9]
- Lucy Liu as Sasha Barnes, Benji's ex-wife[5][7]
- Patrick Brammall as Peter, Andy's love interest[10][11]
- Caleb Hearon as Charlie,[12][7] Miranda's current second assistant
- Helen J. Shen as Jin Chao,[13][14] Andy's assistant
- Pauline Chalamet[5]
- B. J. Novak as Jay Ravitz[5][7]
- Conrad Ricamora[12]
- Rachel Bloom[10] as Tessa, Andy's friend
- Donatella Versace[15]
- Lady Gaga[16]
- Ciara[17]
- Calum Harper[18]
- Ashley Graham[19]
Production
Development
In 2013, Lauren Weisberger wrote and published Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns, a sequel to her 2003 novel The Devil Wears Prada which was adapted into the 2006 film. Starring cast members Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway were not eager to do a sequel, with Streep reportedly saying that she was not interested, and Hathaway stating she would like to work with the same people on "something totally different".[20]
In July 2024, it was reported that Walt Disney Studios, the parent division of 20th Century Studios, was interested in developing a sequel.[21] Negotiations began that month with Aline Brosh McKenna returning to write the screenplay, and Streep, Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci reprising their roles from the first film.[22][4]
Casting and filming
Principal photography began on June 30, 2025, with David Frankel again directing, and Kenneth Branagh joining the cast.[8] In July, it was announced that Tracie Thoms and Tibor Feldman were reprising their roles, with Simone Ashley, Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux, B. J. Novak, Pauline Chalamet, Rachel Bloom and Patrick Brammall as new additions to the cast.[23][5][10] Streep, Hathaway and Tucci were spotted to be filming in Manhattan during the week of July 21, 2025.[24] Blunt was spotted for the first time a week later.[25] Brammel and Hathaway were spotted filming a scene together on August 5.[26] Sydney Sweeney was spotted on set with Blunt on August 7.[27] An important airport scene was shot at Newark on September 10, 2025.[28][29] Tucci and Streep filmed at the Dolce & Gabbana's Milan Fashion Week show on September 27.[30] Filming took place in Milan, Italy from October 6 to 18.[31] In October, Donatella Versace was seen on set filming a cameo appearance,[15] while Lady Gaga was announced to be having a role in the film,[16] Ashley finished filming her scenes on October 17, 2025.[32] Filming officially wrapped on October 20, 2025.[33] By November 2025, Caleb Hearon, Helen J. Shen, Conrad Ricamora and Calum Harper were also announced to have been cast.[12][18] In April 2026, it was revealed that Sweeney, who was meant to cameo as herself, was cut from the finished film.[34]
Marketing
The first teaser trailer was released on November 12, 2025. It was reportedly the most-viewed comedy trailer in 15 years, with 181.5 million views in its first 24 hours alone.[35] The film's color grading and lighting—as presented in the trailer—sparked numerous comments on social media and in the press, lamenting the widespread adoption of the "Netflix look" across the film industry (standardized colors, loss of contrast, resulting in a smooth and flat visual rendering).[36] The film's first full trailer, released on February 1, 2026, recorded 222 million views within its first 24 hours, which 20th Century Studios described as the most-viewed trailer in the studio's history.[37] In April 2026, Streep and Hathaway traveled to South Korea to promote the film, and participated in an interview with singer Jang Won-young.[38]
Music
The second trailer for The Devil Wears Prada 2 included a preview of "Runway", an original song performed by Lady Gaga and Doechii. The track, which shares its title with the fictional magazine led by Miranda Priestly (Streep), featured a house pop style and accompanied the trailer.[39][40] The song was released as a single on April 9, 2026.[41]
Release
The Devil Wears Prada 2 had its premiere at the Lincoln Center in New York City on April 20, 2026, with the event being live-streamed on Disney+ and Hulu.[42][43] Another premiere was held on April 22 in London.[44] The film premiered in Tokyo at Roppongi Hills on April 24.[45]
The film was released in theaters in the United States on May 1, 2026.[46]
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 79% of 164 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Meryl Streep still wears Miranda Priestly like a finely-tailored suit in this sinfully enjoyable sequel, which is dressed to the nines in off-the-rack wish fulfillment and some trenchant observations about the state of modern media."[47] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 62 out of 100, based on 50 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[48]
Justin Chang of The New Yorker wrote that the film is "...selling a truckload of preposterous goods, but it sells them awfully well, with unfeigned assurance, conviction, and the appropriate ratio of cynicism to hope."[49] David Sims of The Atlantic wrote, "It has plenty of breezy fun probing the dilemmas of modern media, without abandoning the glitz that made the original so enduring."[50] Odie Henderson of The Boston Globe wrote, "Miranda is given more depth this time, which softens her just a tad, but it forces the viewer to root for her success. That would bug me, but The Devil Wears Prada 2 successfully gives journalists a bigger villain to hiss at and resent."[51] Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent wrote that the film "...hits painfully home, and perpetual job insecurity is hardly exclusive to the media world. Yet even for those who can’t relate, there’s still plenty of the indulgent, fondant pleasures to take part in."[52]
In a negative review, Moira MacDonald of The Seattle Times wrote that the film "...gives us a lot to look at, and Hathaway and Blunt in particular are a pleasure, but it’s flat Champagne: maybe worth drinking in a pinch, but unsatisfying."[53] Randy Myers of The Mercury News wrote, "Yes, it is indeed a pleasure to hang out with these characters again, and there are a few good laughs here and there. But The Devil Wears Prada 2 feels like it came off the rack before it was ready. It feels about as groundbreaking as florals in spring."[54]
Allegations of anti-Asian racism
On April 16, 2026, 20th Century Studios released a promotional clip for the film on its official YouTube channel, featuring the character Andy Sachs, portrayed by Anne Hathaway, alongside her Asian assistant, Jin Chao, portrayed by Chinese-American actress Helen J. Shen.[13][14] Shen's character drew criticism for its alleged use of racist tropes, as online observers noted that the character’s name bore phonetic resemblance to "ching chong", a racial slur historically used to mock the Chinese language and people.[55][56] Critics further observed that the character was portrayed wearing comparatively dowdy clothing and glasses, in contrast to other characters, and was shown reciting her academic achievements, which they interpreted as reinforcing the “nerdy bookworm” stereotype often associated with Asian individuals.[13]
According to the South China Morning Post, the character's name was initially mistakenly reported as "Chin Chou", which further resembled the pronunciation of the racial slur and contributed to its widespread circulation on social media.[56] The controversy sparked online backlash and debate across mainland China, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong,[14][55][57] with calls to boycott the film spreading on the Chinese internet.[58][59]
