All roads lead back to Disney. Back in March of 2020, the House of Mouse staged what would become the final major red carpet premiere for the foreseeable future with Mulan. Days later, the world shut down—and that live-action epic’s release was delayed from a theatrical bow on March 27 to a Disney+ debut in September. Fourteen months and several streaming-exclusive release dates later, Disney’s Cruella ushered in a return to semi-normal Hollywood premieres.
On Wednesday night, the movie’s central baddie Emma Stone walked the red carpet at Los Angeles’s El Capitan Theatre in a Louis Vuitton suit. Stone’s attendance at the event came just two months after she welcomed a daughter with her husband, Saturday Night Live director Dave McCary. Also present for some socially-distanced photo-ops were Cruella’s director, Craig Gillespie, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste, who plays Anita Darling in thhe film. Notably absent were some of the film’s British stars, including Emma Thompson and Joel Fry, likely due to travel restrictions.
In addition to reviving the red carpet premiere, Cruella will be one of the first major releases of summer 2021 to open in theaters. The film debuts on Memorial Day weekend, both theatrically and on Disney+ (for an additional $29.99 fee). It premieres opposite A Quiet Place Part II, which will stream on Paramount+ 45 days after its theatrical opening.
Cruella is set in 1970s London and explores the origin story of the villainous Ms. de Vil, a character previously played by Glenn Close in the ‘90s-era live-action 101 Dalmatians films. This iteration tells the story of Cruella as an aspiring fashion designer with a punk-rock edge. Her evil streak seemingly begins with the entrance of Jasper and Horace (Joel Fry and Paul Walter Hauser), a pair of bumbling thieves she enlists to help her face-off against the stylish Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson).
Perhaps even more infamous than Cruella herself is the character’s signature red, black, and white wardrobe. Costume designer Jenny Beavan (Mad Max: Fury Road, Sense and Sensibility) told Vogue that there are 47 different looks in the film, each one more intricate than the next. Beavan said that Stone “seemed very receptive to what I was bringing and open to anything.”
Cruella is available on Disney+ and in theaters on May 28.
More Great Stories From Vanity Fair
— A First Look at Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon
— 15 Summer Movies Worth Returning to Theaters For
— Why Evan Peters Needed a Hug After His Big Mare of Easttown Scene
— Shadow and Bone Creators Break Down Those Big Book Changes
— The Particular Bravery of Elliot Page’s Oprah Interview
— Inside the Collapse of the Golden Globes
— Watch Justin Theroux Break Down His Career
— For the Love of Real Housewives: An Obsession That Never Quits
— From the Archive: The Sky’s the Limit for Leonardo DiCaprio
— Not a subscriber? Join Vanity Fair to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now.
