The final trailer for “The Devil Wears Prada 2” does more than simply pull from our nostalgia; it embraces it, warps it, and raises the stakes while remaining both familiar and surprisingly new.
From the moment the trailer begins, it showcases what made the first film iconic – power, fashion, and the tension between Andy Sachs and Miranda Priestly. However, the relationship has changed since then.
Andy (Anne Hathaway) is no longer the timid assistant scraping by at Runway; now she’s a voice and possibly a threat. That fact produces the most powerful hook of the trailer. There’s a definitive suggestion that Andy may turn Miranda (Meryl Streep; again played with icy precision) into an exposé.
The introduction of an exposé gives rise to an additional source of tension that the original film rarely touched upon. Surviving the world of fashion isn’t enough anymore; challenging it has become.
The returns of Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci add a sense of both familiarity and intrigue. Emily seems to have established herself as a powerful character in her own right, possibly establishing a triad of power relationships for the story.
The trailer is visually stunning, offering everything you would expect to find in high fashion, though at more “grownup” levels than before – still glossy but adding a layer of industry decline and urgency. In the current media landscape, Runway is no longer the untouchable empire it once was; it’s struggling to remain relevant.
And then there is the music. The trailer is powered by a new track featuring Lady Gaga, which feels like a deliberate choice. It brings a modern, energetic vibe to a story that is all about legacy. And it is very much in keeping with the way a film understands the spectacle of fashion – it’s stylish, a little bit dramatic, and very on-brand.
What really works here is the conflict between the two characters. The trailer does a good job of offering a reunion of those characters while also offering a different perspective on how they have changed; they’ve all grown in ways that don’t all line up…this creates tension that feels authentic, and most importantly, watchable.
What might not work, however, is the weight of expectation.
While the first film was a major success, it also became a cultural reference point. Finding a way to stay true to that original tone while allowing for some evolution from it can be a difficult juggling act. Some parts of the trailer have a lot of strong nostalgic value (i.e., look, callbacks, similar sequences), and if the film doesn’t push beyond that, it risks feeling like a well-dressed echo.
With that said, the biggest takeaway so far is that The Devil Wears Prada 2 will not play it safe.
Not only is this film bringing back all of the original characters, but it’s putting them at odds in a world that’s changed as much as they have. So, if they succeed at delivering what they are attempting to do, this sequel could be more than just a reunion; it could be a reinvention.
Watch the final trailer of The Devil Wears Prada 2 here:
