'Cruella' First Look Photo: Emma Stone Plays The Disney Villain In 1970s London [D23]

Though Disney has had plenty of success with their live-action remakes like Aladdin and The Lion King this year, not everything will be carbon copies of their original animated movies. Following in the footsteps of Maleficent, there's also the upcoming live-action spin-off Cruella, featuring Emma Stone as the fashionista villain from Disney's animated classic (and previous live-action remake) 101 Dalmatians. The D23 Expo brought a Cruella first look photo, showing Emma Stone looking deliciously evil.

The D23 crowd was treated to a video from the set of Cruella in London. Emma Stone appeared to introduce the start of production, though she wasn't in full costume for the video. But as you can see, her look is really leaning into the style of the period setting, with a wardrobe and look that is unlike either the animated version from 1961 or the live-action take played by Glenn Close in 1996.

In the photo, Emma Stone is joined by Paul Walter Hauser, who appears to be playing the burglar Horace, and then there's Joel Fry, best known for his roles in Yesterday and Game of Thrones, as his cohort Jasper, the de facto leader of the bumbling criminal duo.

We're wondering if Cruella takes place at a time after the events of 101 Dalmatians have already played out. The original animated movie was set in the then-contemporary time of the early 1960s, but it did feature an older Cruella de Vil. That doesn't mean the 1970s set movie couldn't be set in a world where the story of 101 Dalmatians already happened. The two don't have to be directly linked for this to be a sequel-esque story. After all, she does already have three dalmatians in her possession, so why would she still need to get her hands on more?

Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya) is directing Cruella, which will also star Emma Thompson. We're not sure what role the actress will be playing, but it wouldn't be surprising if she played someone who influenced Cruella, maybe even her mother.Cruella was recently pushed back for a release on May 28, 2021.