Emma Stone looks like a punk rock villain in the new poster for 'Cruella'

Ahead of a promised new trailer arriving tomorrow, Disney has dropped a poster for its 101 Dalmatians prequel Cruella, out late this spring. The poster features the film’s star Emma Stone rocking de Vil’s signature hairstyle — that precise, black and white lewk that goes so well with a Dalmatian’s spotted coat (please note that we did NOT say “a Dalmatian coat” — we’re on the dogs’ side here, no matter how hard this movie might try to rehabilitate Cruella).

I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie is the filmmaker behind the forthcoming live action project and so we suspect that this movie, too, will give viewers a new perspective on a story they’re already familiar with (i.e. there’s a reason Tonya Harding became Tonya Harding).

The new poster is a close-up shot of Stone looking intimidating with dark makeup and a defiant stare. The artwork also makes liberal use of the anarchist symbol, which stands in for the "A" in "Emma."

Cruella is set in ‘70s London and sees its title character land a spot working for a prestigious British fashion maison helmed by no less than a baroness called… Baroness (Emma Thompson). Paul Walter Hauser and Joel Fry play de Vil’s famously incompetent henchmen, Horace and Jasper. 

According to the movie’s synopsis, audiences will learn the origins of Cruella’s (née Estella) obsession with dog fur and the role the Baroness played in cultivating her young protege’s criminal habits. They’ll also get a look at Estella’s life before she broke bad and came up with that iconic ‘do. These on-set pics of Stone in character are like seeing photos of Anna Wintour before she cultivated her signature bob. 

Disney has had a Dalmatians prequel on its roster for some time now (filming finished up in November of 2019) with Glenn Close, the previous actor to play the role, on board as executive producer. Her two live-action takes on the story, 101 Dalmatians (1996) and 102 Dalmatians (2000) earned over $500 million at the box office so revisiting the story once again makes sense (read: dollars).  

BEFORE YOU GO: Simone Ashley cast as lead in ‘Bridgerton’ season 2