Emma Stone will play Cruella de Vil in “Cruella,” Disney’s latest live-action adaptation of “101 Dalmatians.”
Rumors that Stone was in talks for the role have been circulating since January, and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures finally confirmed the casting this week,
Us Weekly reported.
Stone, 27, made headlines when she dyed her naturally blonde hair brown in March, with some calling it the first step of her transformation into the Cruella role,
Us Weekly noted at the time.
Stone, well known for her role in “Amazing Spider-Man,” is filming the musical comedy “La La Land” and will also appear as Billie Jean King in “Battle of the Sexes.”
Movie Pilot called the Cruella role an “exciting change” for Stone, who hasn’t yet played a villain.
Glenn Close portrayed the character in the 1996 live-action “101 Dalmatians” and the 2000 sequel, “102 Dalmatians.” Stone’s role in “Cruella” will be an origin story similar to that of Angelina Jolie in the 2014 live-action film “Maleficent.”
Jolie will reprise that role in “Maleficent 2,”
E! Online reported.
“Cruella,” and “Maleficent 2” are among a slate of live-action adaptations the studio has announced in the wake of the megahit movie “The Jungle Book.”
That film, released April 15, has earned $533 million so far, E! Online said.
Others include a Tinkerbell project with Reese Witherspoon, “A Wrinkle in Time” with Ava DuVernay, “Dumbo” with Tim Burton directing, “Jungle Cruise” with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, a Mary Poppins sequel with Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms,” and “The Jungle Book 2.”
Twitter users shared mixed reactions to the casting decision.