The Most Anticipated Sequel of 2026 Is Almost Here

Twenty years after Miranda Priestly terrorized the halls of Runway magazine, she's back. The Devil Wears Prada 2 hits theaters on May 1, 2026, and if the trailer numbers are anything to go by, it's shaping up to be one of the biggest movies of the year.

The full trailer, dropped on February 1, 2026, racked up 222 million views in its first 24 hours — making it the most-viewed trailer in 20th Century Studios' history and landing in the top 10 most-viewed trailers of all time. That's not a sequel nobody asked for. That's a cultural event.

Here's everything you need to know before it opens.

The Full Cast

The original core trio is back — and they've brought some serious reinforcements.

Returning cast:

  • Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, the ice-queen editor-in-chief of Runway
  • Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs, returning to fashion two decades later
  • Emily Blunt as Emily Charlton, now a luxury-sector power player
  • Stanley Tucci as Nigel Kipling
  • Tracie Thoms as Lily
  • Tibor Feldman as Irv Ravitz

New additions:

  • Kenneth Branagh as Miranda's husband
  • Justin Theroux in an undisclosed role
  • Simone Ashley (Bridgerton's Kate Sharma)
  • Lucy Liu
  • B.J. Novak
  • Pauline Chalamet
  • Conrad Ricamora and Helen J. Shen

David Frankel returns to direct, with Aline Brosh McKenna — who wrote the original screenplay — back to pen the sequel.

Key Facts
  • Release date: May 1, 2026 (US theaters)
  • Director: David Frankel (returning)
  • Writer: Aline Brosh McKenna (returning)
  • Studio: 20th Century Studios
  • Filming: Wrapped October 20, 2025
  • Locations: New York City and Milan, Italy

What's the Plot?

The sequel picks up approximately two decades after the events of the original. The world of fashion has changed dramatically — print magazines are struggling, influencer culture has taken over, and traditional power structures are crumbling.

Miranda Priestly finds herself in a precarious position. Runway magazine is financially vulnerable, and she's desperately courting advertising dollars to keep it afloat. The problem? Those dollars are now controlled by Emily Charlton, her former assistant, who has ascended to become a high-powered executive at a major luxury conglomerate.

The power dynamic has completely flipped. Emily — once dismissed, belittled, and sent off to Paris while Andy took her spot — now holds Miranda's career in her hands.

Andy Sachs returns to Runway as the new Features Editor, re-entering the world she fled two decades ago. She's older, wiser, and presumably less likely to run through traffic with a coffee order — but she's back in the orbit of the most demanding woman in fashion.

Rumors suggest Emily may also be conspiring with a billionaire boyfriend to acquire Runway outright, setting up a collision between the three women that promises to be dramatically richer than anything in the original.

Original (2006)
  • Andy is the outsider trying to survive
  • Miranda holds all the power
  • Emily is the obstacle
  • Theme: ambition vs. integrity
VS
Sequel (2026)
  • Andy returns as an insider
  • Miranda is on the defensive
  • Emily now has the power
  • Theme: reinvention vs. legacy

The Trailer Controversy

With 222 million views comes scrutiny. The trailer sparked several debates online:

The visual aesthetic debate: The original was shot on film, giving it a warm, saturated look that became iconic. The sequel was shot digitally, appearing darker and softer. Purists noticed immediately, and the comparison videos went viral.

The Miranda jokes: Several moments in the trailer show Miranda making dismissive, slightly off-kilter remarks — leading some viewers to speculate about her character's state of mind and whether the film is planning a more vulnerable arc for her.

The fashion police: Fashion enthusiasts clocked that Miranda is seen wearing a Valentino Rockstud shoe in the teaser. For a character defined by cutting-edge taste, some considered the choice conspicuously dated — whether intentional or not became a whole debate.

ℹ️
The teaser trailer released in 2025 pulled 181.5 million views in its first 24 hours, reportedly making it the most-viewed comedy trailer in 15 years — before the full trailer nearly doubled that.

Why This Film Has Real Cultural Stakes

The original The Devil Wears Prada (2006) wasn't just a hit — it became a reference point for workplace culture, fashion ambition, and the cost of chasing success. Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestly is routinely cited as one of cinema's great antagonists despite having almost no traditionally "villainous" moments. She's just relentlessly, glacially demanding.

The sequel arrives at a moment when its themes feel more relevant than ever:

  • Print media is genuinely dying. The fictional Runway mirrors what's happened to Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and every other legacy magazine.
  • Power dynamics have shifted. The "difficult boss" archetype is being relitigated across culture.
  • Influencer culture vs. editorial authority is a real war happening right now in fashion.
222M
trailer views in first 24 hours (record for 20th Century Studios)
181.5M
teaser views in first 24 hours
Top 10
most-viewed trailers of all time
20 years
gap between original and sequel
May 1, 2026
US theatrical release

How to Watch the Trailer (And Where to See the Film)

The full trailer is available on 20th Century Studios' official YouTube channel. The film opens in US theaters on May 1, 2026. No streaming premiere date has been announced — expect a standard theatrical window of 45–90 days before a Disney+ release, given 20th Century Studios' Disney ownership.

For international audiences, check local listings as May 1 is a US-specific date; some markets may receive earlier or simultaneous releases.

The Bottom Line

The Devil Wears Prada 2 has every ingredient for a massive opening weekend: beloved characters, a culturally resonant premise, a record-breaking marketing campaign, and an all-star cast. The real question isn't whether people will show up — it's whether the film can honor what made the original endure for two decades while saying something new.

With Frankel and McKenna back, and Streep, Hathaway, and Blunt all clearly committed to the project, the foundation is there. We'll find out on May 1.