The Devil Wears Prada 2 shows how to get a sequel right 20 years later

The Devil Wears Prada 2 moves beyond nostalgia and reflects how work, media and power have changed over two decades. It may not be perfect, but it shows how a sequel should be.

In Short

• The Devil Wears Prada 2 released 20 years after the original, in 2026
• The sequel addresses changes in media and leadership over two decades
• It highlights evolved workplace norms and challenges in the digital age

We often see films roll out in the name of sequels, even though the makers don't have anything new to say. That's where the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada draws a distinction. The original film, which was released in 2006, remains a cult favourite for fashion lovers. So, when a sequel was announced with the same cast – Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt – the obvious question followed.

Could the sequel live up to the original?

A sequel with something to say

Released on May 1 this year, 20 years after the first film, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is the sort of comedy that may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it gets plenty of things right. For one, it steers clear of serving fans repackaged material. Yes, it taps into nostalgia with Miranda Priestly (played by Streep) and Andy Sachs (played by Hathaway) reuniting on-screen as the former boss-employee duo.

Importantly, the film trains its lens on the present, reflecting on the shifts in the media and in leadership over the last two decades.

(Spoiler alert)

One of the film’s key scenes comes early. Andy, now an accomplished journalist, is receiving an award for one of her stories when she and her teammates get a notification saying they have been sacked. The moment is staged as drama, but it could feel familiar to many. It speaks not only to journalists but to working professionals across the world, especially in the post-Covid 19 era.

Runway in the age of the scroll

That same mood runs through Runway, the high-fashion magazine to which Miranda devoted her life. It is no longer really a magazine in the original sense. There are no elaborate cover photoshoots or in-depth stories. People scroll through these covers while they get ready for work and move on.

What matters are the clicks, views and the likes, not the hard-copies that readers buy and collect. No views? Your work doesn't count. After all, who is buying a magazine when you can download one? For survival, one would have to appease a Dior, a key advertiser. Worst-case scenario? The magazine gets sold.

What power looks like now

But here's the brighter side. Miranda Priestly, who once made assistants fetch coffee, carry her overcoats or "get 10-15 shirts from Calvin Klein", cannot quite operate the same way now. Because, hey, HR policies have evolved in the last 20 years. Being a toxic boss clearly doesn't cut it any more.

Having said that, what remains constant even after 20 years is female ambition and the need to tell impactful stories. The Devil Wears Prada 2 may not be perfect, but it is real. We don't see a sequel just for the sake of it. The film picks up where it left off, reflects the in-between and the new reality.

And that's exactly how a sequel should be.

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