When it comes to “The Devil Wears Prada,” Miranda Priestley’s opinion is the only one that matters — but longtime fans of director David Frankel and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna’s 2006 workplace comedy can rest easy after a promising first look debuted the same night as The Grammys. From 20th Century Studios, the upcoming sequel reunites the original storytelling duo with star Meryl Streep, once again embodying the titular fashion editor, Priestley, who notoriously rules Runway Magazine with a pursed lip.
Rather than escalating Miranda’s cool-toned aggression, or sharpening her corporate knives, the trailer for “The Devil Wears Prada 2” hints at a dramatic solution that’s more elegant and unexpected. Here, Miranda is a woman so powerful she scarcely remembers the events of the first film. When Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) re-enters the sleek offices at Runway, she’s not a lost cause or an embittered rival; she’s stranger forced to introduce herself all over again — albeit in better shoes and no cerulean.
Miranda’s offer of employments, positioning Andy as a features editor at the magazine, lands less like an olive branch than a reminder of her former (and maybe future) boss’s scale. Andy’s life-altering professional ordeal with Miranda registers as little more than a footnote for her. That protective barrier has only strengthened with time, and the returning ensemble subtly reframes her and Andy’s imbalance.
Ever the loyal steward for Runway’s soul, Nigel (Stanley Tucci) is back as Miranda’s right flank, while Emily (Emily Blunt) appears more detached from the magazine than ever — offering fleeting glimpses of a broader ecosystem that expands on Miranda’s immediate orbit. The effect is clarifying, reminding viewers that Andy was always small potatoes for people who make contemporary culture as we know it.
Is this reunion the prelude to a long-simmering revenge arc, or as it appears here, an unexpected second chapter shaped by time and selective memory? Frankel and McKenna wisely refuse to show their hand, and instead, the teaser leans on nostalgic atmosphere — echoing the original score with another reworked versions of Madonna’s “Vogue,” and a knowing confidence in the first movie an enduring cinematic favorite.
Notably, the trailer keeps its new cast, including Kenneth Branagh, Simone Ashley, Justin Theroux, Lucy Liu, Patrick Brammall, Caleb Hearon, Helen J. Shen, Pauline Chalamet, B.J. Novak, and Conrad Ricamora, largely in the shadows. It does, however, loudly laud the Academy Award wins and nominations of its four returning stars. It’s a savvy acknowledgment of just how much talent is concentrated in this fictional corner of Manhattan and a warm invitation to revisit its world with fresh eyes.
But what became of Nate? And what happened to Andy’s friends? Is Christian Thompson still skulking around? Some loose threads are best saved for opening weekend. Watch the trailer for “Devil Wears Prada 2,” in theaters from 20th Century Studios on May 1.
