“You have some very large shoes to fill!” said Emily (Emily Blunt) to the new Andrea at the end of the first The Devil Wears Prada film.
Based on the book of the same name by Lauren Weisberger, the film became not only a box office hit but an iconic fashion movie. It has since become a staple at slumber parties and a go-to for escapist comfort — one that remains widely talked about today.
Now, twenty years later, the original cast is back, stepping once again into the shoes of their beloved characters: Emily Blunt as Emily Charlton, Stanley Tucci as Nigel Kipling, Anne Hathaway as Andrea Sachs, and of course, Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly.
Director David Frankel and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna also return, bringing back the creative force behind the original.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 arrives at a time when Hollywood can’t seem to get enough of sequels, reboots, and revivals. Films like Top Gun: Maverick prove that revisiting old favorites can still feel exciting when done right — but not every comeback captures the same magic.
Lately, it has become harder to tell the difference between a thoughtful continuation and a nostalgia play.
And so the question is: Has The Devil Wears Prada 2 filled those very large shoes?
The answer? Mostly — but not without a few missteps along the way.
What’s the story?
From center to right: Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly and Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs in 20th Century Studios’ THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2. IMAGE CREDIT: Macall Polay. © 2026 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Set years after the original, Andy is now an established journalist, Emily has moved on to a senior role at Dior, while Miranda and Nigel remain at Runway — with Miranda poised to become Head of Global Content.
But times have changed, and the sequel’s story centers on that shift.
We see a softened Miranda who — gasp! — now hangs her own coat and is trying to find her place in a world where print publications are losing relevance to clicks and digital metrics.
“The September issue is so thin that you can practically floss with it!” Miranda quips.
When Andy wins an investigative journalism award, her moment is cut short as she and her colleagues are abruptly laid off via text following a change in ownership.
Throughout the film, we watch the characters grapple with billionaires and tech moguls driving the changing media landscape. When Runway faces a PR crisis after unknowingly praising an unethical supplier, Andy is pulled back into the fold as features editor.
The review
IMAGE CREDIT: Freepik
The Devil Wears Prada 2 returns with a noticeably bigger budget, a clear result of the original’s success. This is evident in its dreamy locations — hello “Lake Como” and the “The Hamptons” — as well as its star-studded cameos.
Donatella Versace appears in the sequel, a full-circle moment from the first film when Miranda famously barked, “Call Donatella!”
As The Devil Wears Prada 2 is, after all, still a film about fashion, the wardrobe deserves its own spotlight.
The first film reportedly struggled to get designers on board, but for the sequel, costume designer Molly Rogers has said the real challenge was deciding which designers to leave out.
According to Rogers, dressing the characters this time around meant prioritizing silhouettes that felt both practical and fashion-forward.
While many looks deliver the aspirational fantasy the franchise is known for, not all the wardrobe choices land. That tassel-decked Dries Van Noten jacket Miranda wears? The Miranda from the original film would be pursing her lips.
The soundtrack also deserves recognition. With tracks from Dua Lipa, Olivia Dean, Miley Cyrus, and Lady Gaga, it reinforces the film’s themes of ambition, control, and reinvention.
And as for the plot? It’s timely and, at its best, captures the tension between legacy media and the fast-moving digital world.
However, some storylines feel underdeveloped.
Miranda’s new assistants, Amari (Simone Ashley) and Charlie (Caleb Heron), are introduced with promise but quickly fade into the background after their initial scenes.
Similarly, Andy’s “big assignment” — securing an interview with Sasha Barnes (Lucy Liu) — is positioned as the sequel’s high-stakes challenge, but it lacks the urgency and cultural weight of the original’s unpublished Harry Potter manuscript plotline.
Simply put, the stakes don’t hit as hard.
The final verdict
IMAGE CREDIT: 20th Century Studios
The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a worthy sequel, capable of filling the very large shoes left behind by the original.
It successfully revisits a beloved world while updating it for a new era — but it doesn’t always push far enough beyond nostalgia to fully redefine itself.
It remains a fun film that delivers both escapism and aspiration.
Ultimately, it steps into those big shoes with confidence — but never quite runs in them.
