The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) – Review

Quick Thoughts:

1. Anne Hathaway is wildly charming. 
2. As always, Meryl Streep owns the screen. She does some excellent work
3. The tacked-on love story is handled maturely, but it’s not necessary. 
4. As a legacy sequel/victory lap, it’s successful
5. Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt, Simone Ashley, B.J. Novak, and Justin Theroux put in a good shift.
6. Everyone looks great. 
7. Justin Theroux is a maniac. He needs to play more characters who are on water deficits.
8. I love that writer Aline Brosh McKenna brought in Rachel Bloom for a small role. The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend reunion made me happy. 

Crafting a legacy sequel to the 2006 blockbuster The Devil Wears Prada (2006) must have been a daunting challenge for director David Frankel and writer Aline Brosh McKenna. The 2006 film grossed $326 million at the worldwide box office and it received a multitude of Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe nominations. Meryl Streep won her eighth Golden Globe (a Guiness World Record), Emily Blunt’s career skyrocketed, and Anne Hathaway became the newest member of the A-list. All of the actors wanted to reunite, but didn’t want the sequel to feel like a nostalgic cash grab. It wasn’t until writer Aline Brosh McKenna decided to focus the film on the state of journalism and how the written word is consumed in 2026, that all the key players returned. The sequel won’t recapture the lightning-in-a-bottle quality of the original, but it is a welcome victory lap and worthy sequel.

The sequel brings back the main players (and a lot of fan service) and focuses on the evolving world of fashion magazines, journalism, and social media. The film opens with Andrea “Andy” Sachs (Anne Hathaway) being laid off from her magazine job moments before she and her coworkers win a prestigious writer’s award. Simultaneously, a fast fashion faux pas made by Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) threatens the existence of the floundering Runway Magazine, which has suffered in the online age. Andy’s acceptance speech goes viral (Journalism is important!), and it leads to Miranda’s boss Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman), hiring Andy to gain back the journalistic respect that Runway Magazine once had. This brings Andy, Miranda, and Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci) back together, and they’re forced to find a way to survive in a world that’s shifting away from traditional media. 

Things get dicey when Irv dies suddenly, and his athleisure-loving son Jay (B.J. Novak) is handed the business. This leads to budget cuts (people have to fly coach – in the film’s worst scene), restructuring, and a whole lot of panic within the walls of Runway Magazine. It all builds to a fashion show in Milan, Italy, that involves secret meetings, an annoyed Lady Gaga, and fabulous people looking fabulous whilst riding in a speed boat. It’s a bunch of nonsense, and there’s way too much plot, but director David Frankel is fully committed to the proceedings.

It’s a random comparison, but Anne Hathaway’s performance in The Devil Wears Prada 2 reminds me of Brad Pitt’s wildly charming performance in F1: The Movie (2025). The Oscar-winning actors effortlessly channeled every ounce of their charm into the roles and legitimately own the screen. Also, since the film features Meryl Streep, her presence adds pathos and weight to the proceedings. Her character Miranda is a maniac, but Streep finds ways to make the audience love her. Whether it’s the way she sits in a chair (you’ll know) or the way she observes her surroundings, Streep brings her A-game while playing the fashion icon. The most welcome new addition is Simone Ashley, who plays Miranda’s new first assistant. She isn’t as sassy as Emily (who is?), but she looks great and fits in nicely. It’s also nice seeing Emily Blunt reprise her role as Emily Charlton, who is now a senior executive at Dior and plays an important role in saving Runway Magazine. Blunt has some fun scenes with Justin Theroux, who goes all-in playing a billionaire Jeff Bezos-type who loves AI and dehydration. 

If you’re looking for hard-hitting journalism or a takedown of the rich, you’ve come to the wrong place. The Devil Wears Prada 2 belongs in a cinematic fluffy pocket universe that leans into tropes and exists to look great. That being said, current topics are covered as the film explores journalism, AI, and an evolving world that is less reliant on print coverage and art. I’ve witnessed the changes myself as a writer with various companies, so some of the explored topics hit home.

Hathaway, Streep, Ashley, Tucci, Blunt, Lucy Liu, Kennth Branagh (and his indoor scarf) look amazing in costumes created by costume designer Molly Rogers, with the highlight being a gratuitous montage in Milan in which everyone looks glamorous. The return of cinematographer Florian Ballhaus (who shot the 2006 film) helps keep the two movies visually similar and focused on what is important (people looking great).