Cruella: trailer for 2021 film, who’s in the cast with Emma Stone, release date - and will it be on Disney+?

The first trailer for Disney’s Cruella de Vil origin story film has been released, giving fans a first glimpse of Emma Stone as the iconic villain.

The actress can be seen abandoning her red hair for the character’s signature white and black mane in the first footage from the origin story film.

In the trailer for Cruella - which many have noted is quite dark for a Disney film - she arrives at a party in a hooded white cape, sets herself on fire and emerges in a red gown with the monochrome hair-do.

Here is everything you need to know about it.

What happens in Cruella?

In the trailer de Vil is seen tearing through the streets of London in her car and unleashing bats from inside a safe, while a large fire destroys a huge house.

Stone can be heard saying in voiceover: “From the very beginning, I realised I saw the world differently than everyone else. That didn’t sit well with some people.”

Set in the 1970s amid the punk rock revolution, Cruella begins the film as Estella, a young designer whose flair for fashion catches the eye of the fashionable Baroness von Hellman, played by Dame Emma Thompson.

“I wasn’t for everyone. I guess they were always scared that I would be a psycho,” continues de Vil’s voiceover. “But a new day brings new opportunities and I was ready to make a statement.”

But when Estella befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, her and von Hellman’s relationship is tested, and a course of events and revelations that cause Estella to become the famous Disney villain is set in motion.

“The thing is, I was born brilliant, born bad, and a little bit mad,” says de Vil in the trailer. “How does the saying go? ‘I am woman, hear me roar.’”

Who stars in it?

Alongside Stone and Dame Emma, the cast features a number of big names.

Joel Fry – who has appeared in sitcoms such as Trollied and Plebs. and portrayed Hizdahr zo Loraq inGame of Thrones plays Jasper Badun, while Paul Walter Hauser – who has played supporting roles in the films I, Tonya, BlacKkKlansman, and Da 5 Bloods – is Horace Badun.

American-English actress Emily Beecham – best known for her role in the Coen Brothers film Hail, Caesar! – is Anita, while prolific English actor Mark Strong is Boris.

Elsewhere, Kirby Howell-Baptiste – a series regular in Killing Eve and The Good Place – is Tabitha, while comedian Jamie Demetriou – known for his roles in Fleabag and Stath Lets Flats – is Gerald.

Who’s directing it?

Filming began in mid-2019 and had finished by November of that year, long before the Covid-19 pandemic put a stop to filming on many film and TV projects and played havoc with the release schedules.

The film is being directed by Craig Gillespie, the Australian director behind Lars and the Real Girl, and I, Tonya, the latter of which was nominated for three and won an Oscar at the 2018 Awards.

Cruella is written by The Wedding Date and What Happens in Vegas writer Dana Fox, and Tony McNamara, who co-wrote and created bawdy period comedies The Favourite and The Great respectively, the former of which starred Stone and earned him a nomination for Best Original Screenplay at Oscars.

When can I watch it?

Cruella will be released in the UK on 28 May.

It was originally scheduled to be theatrically released on 23 December 2020, but was delayed to its current release date long before the coronavirus crisis took hold of the world.

There’s no word yet on whether Disney will choose to release the film on Disney+ on the day of its cinematic release.

A lot will be riding on how the pandemic plays out, and studio bosses will be hoping cinemas are open enough by May to launch the film more or less as normal.