“The Devil Wears Prada 2” an Empowering, Enjoyable Sequel

Twenty years after making their iconic turns as Miranda, Andy, Emily and Nigel - Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci return to the fashionable streets of New York City and the sleek offices of Runway Magazine in “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” the sequel to the 2006 movie that defined a generation.

Miranda Priestly struggles against Emily Charlton, her former assistant turned rival associate, as they compete for advertising revenue amid declining print media. A more mature Andy Sachs, now a respected reporter, has also been hired as Runway’s featured editor to help Miranda save the company.

“The Devil Wears Prada 2” is a nostalgic, enjoyable sequel that fans of the 2006 movie will surely like. It’s also great to see the returning cast together again, and just like the original movie, they still do an amazing job - especially Meryl Streep (of course) who stands out as Miranda Priestly.

The overall story of “The Devil Wears Prada 2” is a mature evolution of the original’s themes, shifting from a satire about a toxic workplace to a more grounded exploration of legacy media struggling to survive in a digital age. One thing I liked about the sequel is that it addresses current industry realities, including the erosion of journalism, the rise of A.I. and the transition from print to digital media.

In this “Prada” follow up, we also get to see a different side of a few of the characters that are great to see. In the movie, we get a chance to see a more somewhat humanized Miranda Priestly who, while still delightfully mean (especially at a few meetings), also faces genuine grief over the potential loss of her life’s work. Unlike the first movie where Andy pretty much gets walked all over by Miranda, she is a seasoned, more confident woman this time around and also becomes an ally to Miranda.

It;s also great to see returning fan favorite characters Nigel and Emily. Just like the original, Stanley Tucci’s character Nigel still has a dry wit that can easily bring some laughs. This time around, Nigel has increased screen time and has a warmer relationship with Andy, and even has a touching moment where he’s pretty much front and center that the character really deserves. Blunt’s character, Emily, can steal the

show at times like the previous movie with her sharp one-liners.

“The Devil Wears Prada 2” has quite a few humorous and memorable moments that fans of the first movie are surely to enjoy and have fun with, such as when the parent company’s new leadership who’s trying to modernize Runway calls a meeting to take place in the cafeteria and Miranda humorously asks her current assistant, “We have a cafeteria?”. There are also several little callbacks from the 2006 movie that fans will also enjoy!

The overall response for this long-awaited “Prada” sequel has been highly positive, with many viewers finding it to be a fantastic and enjoyable sequel that successfully balances nostalgia with modern themes. While some critics have been more divided on its narrative depth, audiences have embraced the return of the original cast and the updated commentary of the digital media landscape.

Cast: Meryl Streep (Miranda Priestly); Anna Hathaway (Andy Sachs); Emily Blunt (Emily Charlton), Stanley Tucci (Nigel Kipling); Justin Theroux (Benji Barnes); Simone Ashley (Amari); Kenneth Branagh (Stuart); Lucy Liu (Sasha Barras); Tracie Thoms (Lily); Tibor Feldman (Irv Ravitz).

Writer/director: Aline Brosh McKenna (writer) (Netflix’s Your Place or Mine; Cruella; We Bought a Zoo); David Frankel (director) (Hope Springs; The Big Year; Jerry and Marge Go Large).

MPA: Rated PG-13 for strong language and some suggestive references   (runtime 119 minutes)

Don’t forget to keep on checking my Wyoming County Press Examiner reviews page on Facebook to see what I will be checking out next!! And if you don’t have access to Facebook, here is a look at what I have planned for the May 20 edition: Mortal Kombat II; Mortal Kombat (1995/1997 sequel); The Mandalorian Season 1; Shrek (Rewind Series 25th anniversary) and Primate (recent release 2026)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMd1at7OwiE

• The reason that the sequel took 20 years was that Meryl Streep prefers not to do any sequels to her own work. Her only other sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018), was released 10 years after the original, and she only agreed if her role was reduced. It reportedly took many years of negotiation and salary offers before Streep would commit to Prada 2, and in the intervening years, she, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt have all been quoted as saying that this sequel was unlikely to happen.

• The costumes from the movie will be auctioned off to benefit the Committee to Protect Journalists, a nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom internationally.

• The casting calls for the movie called it by the title "Cerulean", referring to the the color used in the famed monologue given by Meryl Streep's character Miranda Priestly about the cultural reach of the fashion industry in the first film.

• While preparing to return as Miranda Priestly, Meryl Streep reflected on the real-life influence of Anna Wintour: "In terms of Miranda, and coming back to that character 20 years later, I did think honestly about Anna, and tried to imagine what it was like to carry her responsibility and to be as interested in the world and curious as she must have to be." When rumors of The Devil Wears Prada 2 emerged, Wintour personally called Streep and said she trusted her implicitly: "I knew she would tell me if it was going to be all right."

• In order to focus on this movie, Anne Hathaway had to postpone development on The Princess Diaries 3. Hathaway has called revisiting these characters from early in her career her own "Eras Tour".

• Although Lauren Weisberger had written a sequel novel called 'Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns', this movie sequel mostly ignores it, as the book only featured Miranda Priestly in a small role.

• Stylist Donatella Versace, who was mentioned in the first movie, makes a cameo in this one. She is seen sharing breakfast with Emily (Emily Blunt), who finds her very annoying: this is a reference to her mention in the first movie, where Miranda told Andy that "nobody wants to sit next to Donatella".

• Director David Frankel revealed he had hoped to include Adrian Grenier in a cameo reprising his role as Nate, Andy Sachs' boyfriend from the original film, but the idea was abandoned due to scheduling constraints. Grenier later said he was disappointed not to be contacted, though he acknowledged the character's mixed reception may have played a role. He also humorously referenced the role in a self-aware Starbucks commercial, which Frankel praised.

• The first trailer received 185 million online views within the first 24 hours.