Anne Hathaway’s Devil Wears Prada 2 Update Is A Relief After Her 26% Rotten Tomatoes Flop 20 Years Ago

Anne Hathaway doesn’t appear to be in any hurry to see a sequel for The Devil Wears Prada — which is a good thing, considering an ignoble early entry in her career. During a recent interview with V Magazine, Anne Hathaway discussed potential future sequels to her previous films like The Princess Diaries 3 and The Devil Wears Prada 2. In the interview, she would only confirm that a potential Princess Diaries 3 is currently in a “good place” but was more specific in shooting down the idea of a sequel to The Devil Wears Prada.

Looking back at Anne Hathaway’s career and ahead at her upcoming films, it’s exciting that she feels that way about the Academy Award-nominated dramedy. It’s especially relevant given an early film in her career went the unnecessary sequel route, and ended up being a critical low of her career. That reception highlighted the potential faults with reprising a role when the story doesn’t necessarily justify a return, even of one of Anne Hathaway’s best early movie roles. Despite featuring one of her earliest roles, one of Hathaway’s most critically decried films proves why movies don’t need a sequel.

The Princess Diaries 2 Proves Classic Anne Hathaway Comedies Shouldn’t Always Get Sequels

The Princess Diaries 2 Was An Early Critical-Bomb For Anne Hathaway

The Princess Diaries 2 remains a critical-panned low point in Anne Hathaway’s career, highlighting why not every comedy starring the actress needs a sequel. Hathaway’s cinematic debut in The Princess Diaries set off a successful career in Hollywood. Opposite legendary actress Julie Andrews as her queenly grandmother Clarisse, Hathaway’s Mia — a shy American girl who discovers she’s the heir to a powerful European nation — helped establish Hathaway’s career. She returned to the role of Mia in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, which suffered from diminishing results.

Although the film made a modest profit, it was critically maligned. Despite being directed by Garry Marshall with a screenplay by Shonda Rhimes, the film’s only saving grace in the eyes of critics was Hathaway. The film currently has a score of 29% on Rotten Tomatoes. It suffers from a middling story about Mia’s need to marry a prince before she loses the throne. It proves that sometimes, films can work best when they stand as individual pieces. This is especially true with one of Hathaway’s roles in The Devil Wears Prada.

Why The Devil Wears Prada 2 Wouldn’t Work

The Evolution Of Fashion & Culture Makes The Devil Wears Prada 2 Unlikely

The Devil Wears Prada was a smash hit in 2006, earning over $300 million at the box office as well as a slew of award nominations. Set in the world of the fashion industry, Hathaway stars as Andy, the new assistant to Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly. It was a great showcase for Hathaway against seasoned pros like Streep and peers like Emily Blunt. It was also rooted in a specific time and place, with an industry that’s changed radically in subsequent years. This makes any sequel an unlikely prospect, as The Devil Wears Prada‘s ending doesn’t call for expansion.

The world is a different place on a cultural level than it was when The Devil Wears Prada was made. The fashion industry has especially changed. As Hathaway explained to V Magazine “There’s a huge difference in the world now with technology, and one of the things about that particular story is it was about producing a physical object.” Hathaway’s preference for instead reuniting The Devil Wears Prada‘s cast and creatives for an entirely new film is a far more exciting concept, especially in light of her recent projects.

Anne Hathaway’s New Movies Are Much Better Than Devil Wears Prada & Princess Diaries Sequels

Anne Hathaway’s Last Decade Of Films Have Featured Some Impressive Highs

Besides being dated by their time or specifically flawed, returning to the past would be a disappointment given how varied Anne Hathaway has become as an actor. Following a string of big box-office films like The Dark Knight Rises and her Academy Award-winning performance in Les Misérables, Hathaway’s roles have grown more dramatically complex and creatively interesting. She’s subsequently appeared in big sci-fi swings like Interstellar and Colossal while flexing over-the-top villainy in The Witches.

Her most recent films, like Eileen and Armeggedon Time, have underscored her dramatic chops while still bringing personality to potentially one-note characters. Her upcoming film The Idea of You is set to place her in a charged romance with a younger man, which could be a natural way to showcase her evolution as an actor since her breakout role in The Princess Diaries. It’s exciting to see Anne Hathaway expanding her repertoire instead of simply retreading established ground, ensuring that The Devil Wears Prada doesn’t repeat the mistakes of The Princess Diaries 2.

Source: V Magazine, Rotten Tomatoes