Disney’s upcoming Cruella just got a whole lot more interesting. Little is known about the upcoming Mouse House flick, other than it’s a prequel following a young Cruella Deville. Emma Stone has nabbed the starring role in the film, but no other characters have been cast at this time. That Hashtag Show ( THS ) is exclusively reporting that Nicole Kidman is being eyed for the villain role in the film, saying that she tops the short list of actresses in the running.
While Cruella and “villain” seem to go hand-in-hand, the role Kidman is being eyed for is that of Baroness, the film’s antagonist. Baroness is the driving force behind Cruella’s rise as the notorious Disney villain, which will give fans a whole different viewpoint in the classic 101 Dalmatians .
According to THS , Disney is also considering Julianne Moore, Emma Thompson, Charlize Theron, and Demi Moore for the role of Baroness. Theron’s casting as the villain would mark the second time the actress played the bad guy in a Disney film. The Oscar winner played Ravenna in 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman .
Screen Rant is reporting Kidman should have the time to take on the role as her schedule is set to clear after the Big Little Lies Season 2 debut, as well as films The Goldfinch and the untitled Roger Ailes biopic. Other projects for Kidman that are in pre-production are television series The Undoing and The Expatriates .
It sounds like Disney has its eye on Nicole Kidman to play the villain in its live-action prequel, #Cruella . https://t.co/bq6wRY4Mld pic.twitter.com/3TDjGWG9gL
— Screen Rant (@screenrant) March 8, 2019
THS is also reporting that Disney is hoping to get started on production of the film this July or August for a late 2020 release date. The script is still being written by The Favourite screenwriter Tony McNamara, who was brought in for rewrites. I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie has replaced Alex Timbers, who had to leave the film due to scheduling conflicts.
A brief synopsis of the film reveals that it will follow a young Cruella De Vil (known as Estrella) who lives on the streets in 1970s London. The summary also reveals that the film will reveal the reason the Disney villain grew to hate dalmatians so much.
Angelina Jolie returns in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Coming to theaters October 18, 2019. pic.twitter.com/TX4C2bpEnw
— Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (@Maleficent) March 6, 2019
Three live-action Disney films are set to be released this year including Dumbo , Aladdin, and The Lion King . A new movie poster for the Maleficent sequel also debuted this week, with Angelina Jolie set to return as the big bad. Other live-action films in production for the studio include Mulan , Lady and the Tramp , Tinkerbell, and Lilo & Stitch .
There is no release date for Cruella at this time.
