The release date of The Devil Wears Prada 2 is just around the corner. The world premiere is April 29, 2026, and the U.S. release date is May 1, 2026. As much as all the main cast members of the original work appear, there are many waiting movie fans. Since it is a new work being released after much time has passed since the previous work, it was announced that the content of this work will bridge the long hiatus and show a new narrative. Based on the content revealed so far and the previous work, I try to predict the appearance of the new work to be released soon.
Old Faces, New Conflicts: The Return of Andy and Miranda
The most striking element in this new work is the point that different aspects of conflict can be seen through the same characters as the previous work. When synthesizing the stories emerging after the footage screening, even the initial settings of Andy, played by Anne Hathaway, and Miranda, played by Meryl Streep, are being confirmed. Andy appears to be fired from the workplace where she worked as a journalist. Miranda receives complaints from luxury brand sides, who are major advertisers, on the grounds that an article exposing their dirty laundry came out. Looking at the trailer again through these settings, it is possible to expect that Andy returns to Runway after losing her job, and the process to solve the difficulty Miranda is experiencing will become the center of the narrative. Here, Emily, played by Emily Blunt, another protagonist of the previous work, also appears. Looking at how she is introduced as having worked at Runway together, there is a high possibility she appears as a character outside of Runway. Whether she joins Runway afterward or helps Miranda as an outside figure is unknown, but she is expected to be a pivotal figure solving the situation along with Andy. The situation where there are not many specific mentions regarding her character can rather be seen as an implication of a situation functioning as the core of the narrative.
Official Trailer of The Devil Wears Prada 2 from 20th Century Studios
Fashion Redux: Using Narrative Shorthand to Reveal Character Arcs
It appears that the method of revealing character arcs and narratives through costumes shown in the previous work will be used this time as well. Andy’s costumes, appearing as a journalist, look practical and professional. However, they feel out of touch with the fashion world. The stylistic disconnect from the fashion world seen in her costumes is expected to be made over by Nigel, played by Stanley Tucci, this time as well. If the makeover of the previous work functioned in connection with her identity, in this new work, what kind of role such a change will play works as a highly anticipated aspect. In contrast, the costumes Miranda is wearing in the scenes where she appears show fashionableness, having passed through the hands of several designers. This can be read as representing the status and position she holds in the fashion world. Or, it could be that it was utilized in a way that reveals how deeply she is connected to the fashion world and contrasts with Andy’s costumes. Since this narrative, unlike the previous work, has solving Miranda’s predicament as the main narrative, it can be expected that the visual tools the movie has will function differently from the previous work overall. Checking how much the costumes are functioning as a tool to reveal the movie’s narrative will also become a viewing point of this movie.
An Anachronistic Choice: The DEI Controversy Surrounding Jin Chao
It appears that this function of fashion will be utilized through not only the main characters but also all surrounding characters. As one of such directions, 20th Century Studios released a clip announcing the appearance of Andy’s new assistant. However, the release of this clip caused a serious problem. It is that the character and name of Jin Chao, played by Helen J. Shen, remind people of Asian disparagement. First, it is a point that her name is similar to “Ching Chong,” which is an expression disparaging Chinese people in the Western world. Because it is an expression that has been a problem for a long time in Western countries, it appears as a decision out of step with the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) standards that the recent film industry advocates. These results are judged to have been an imprudent decision regardless of the production team’s intention. Her character setting also fuels this controversy. With clumsy pronunciation, excessively tacky costumes, and even the impression of valuing academic background and grades added, many people who saw this are reading her as a character who reveals the prejudice against Asians as “good at studying but lacking social skills” exactly as it is. To speculate, I wonder if they intended to utilize it as an homage to the interview scene where Andy appealed herself to Miranda in the previous work. However, if it were such an intention, it is even more difficult to accept the result. The independent and confident attitude that Andy of the previous work showed was replaced with a hasty and hysterical personality, and her costumes, which were practical, were replaced with a tackiness of unknown intention. How three-dimensionally her character is depicted appears that it will be the key to resolving this situation, but considering that the narrative and character arc of the previous work were monotonous, there is not much expectation.
Official Clip Featuring the Character Jin Chao from 20th Century Studios
Despite such concerns, various elements that the movie previews trigger the expectations of fans of the previous work. One of the charms of the movie The Devil Wears Prada was in the characters. Miranda, who showed a haughty yet impeccable professional competence, and Andy, who goes to find her identity with a confident attitude. As the relationships of these characters and many other figures are maintained as they are, it appears that the movie has well inherited elements that the audience who enjoyed watching the previous work would enjoy. Between controversy and expectation, I will check in the theater whether the result the movie will show will indeed make the audience pleasant or unpleasant, and write about it here.