New York fans couldn't contain their excitement during the filming of The Devil Wears Prada 2, and now that enthusiasm has inadvertently made it into the film's first trailer. Released on April 6, the preview for the highly anticipated sequel features Anne Hathaway reprising her role as Andy Sachs, striding confidently across a bustling New York City street in a chic grey suit and oversized sunglasses. But eagle-eyed viewers quickly spotted a delightful editing oversight: a bystander in a passing taxi leaning out the window, phone in hand, filming the star with obvious glee.
The moment, which has since gone viral on social media, captures the real-world adoration for Hathaway's iconic character. One fan posted on X, formerly Twitter, "This girl having her phone just wide out the window in the trailer is frying me," while another quipped in the comments, "Because that’s Andy Sachs. A million girls would kill for that job!" The slip-up, rather than detracting from the trailer's appeal, has only amplified the buzz surrounding the film, set to open in theaters on May 1.
Directed by David Frankel, who helmed the original 2006 hit, The Devil Wears Prada 2 brings back the core cast, including Meryl Streep as the formidable editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly, Emily Blunt as the sharp-tongued former assistant Emily Charlton, and Stanley Tucci as the wry art director Nigel Kipling. Hathaway's Andy returns to Runway magazine as the new features editor, promising a fresh chapter in the cutthroat world of high fashion. The ensemble is bolstered by new additions such as Simone Ashley, Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux, B.J. Novak, Pauline Chalamet, Caleb Hearon, and Helen J. Shen, all confirmed to appear.
Filming last year also drew celebrity cameos, with Lady Gaga, Sydney Sweeney, Ashley Graham, Ciara, Marc Jacobs, Paige DeSorbo, and Amelia Dimoldenberg spotted on set. Emily Blunt, speaking to E! News in September, reflected on the intense public interest during on-location shoots in New York. “We feel a little bit like zoo exhibits,” she quipped. “But that’s OK. People are excited." However, the 43-year-old actress remained tight-lipped about plot details, stating plainly, “I can tell you nothing."
The sequel builds on the legacy of the original film, which was adapted from Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel—a thinly veiled account of her time as an assistant to Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. The movie's development began even before the book hit shelves, with Fox executives snapping up the rights based on the first 100 pages and an outline. Carla Hacken, then executive vice president at Fox 2000, told Variety in 2016, "I was the first person to read it at Fox 2000. I thought Miranda Priestly was one of the greatest villains ever. I remember we aggressively went in and scooped it up."
Screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna was brought in after four other writers struggled with a direct adaptation. She crafted a narrative centered on the sacrifices women make in the fashion industry, completing a draft in about a month and revising based on notes. McKenna faced challenges researching the story, as she told Entertainment Weekly: "I had enormous trouble finding anyone in the fashion world who'd talk to me, because people were afraid of Anna and Vogue, not wanting to be blackballed." One anonymous source advised her, "The people in this movie are too nice. No one in that world is too nice. They don't have to be, and they don't have time to be." McKenna adjusted the script accordingly, making characters busier and meaner.
Production hurdles extended to securing locations, thanks to Wintour's influence. Director Frankel admitted to EW that the Metropolitan Museum of Art, site of the Met Ball, refused access, as did Bryant Park, then home to New York Fashion Week. Even upscale apartment buildings balked at allowing Miranda's residence to be filmed, with co-op boards turning them away. The team eventually used a five-story Upper East Side townhouse borrowed from producer Wendy Finerman's friend.
One element they got spot-on was Miranda's office, recreated by production designer Jess Gonchor after he "snuck into" Vogue's offices for reference. Frankel told EW, "He was able to re-create the office so authentically that I was told Anna redecorated hers immediately after the movie came out." Wardrobe posed another challenge; initially, designers hesitated to lend pieces for fear of Wintour's wrath. Costume designer Patricia Field assembled over 150 items from brands like Donna Karan, Zac Posen, Rick Owens, and Prada, carefully distinguishing Streep's Miranda from Wintour. Meryl Streep noted, "She borrowed everything; we had to be very careful not to eat spaghetti at lunch, because it'd go down the front and they couldn't return it!"
Anna Wintour herself has approached the film's portrayal with a touch of humor. During a 2017 interview with Streep for Vogue's 125th anniversary issue, when Streep hinted at Miranda as her most challenging role, Wintour interjected with a laugh, "No, no! We're not going there, Meryl." Wintour attended a screening alongside Weisberger and later told 60 Minutes, "It was entertainment. It was not a true rendition of what happens within this magazine."
Streep was the unanimous choice for Miranda, with Hacken recalling to Variety, "I don't remember anything other than, 'Please God—let it be Meryl.'" When Streep's agent confirmed her interest, Hacken put him on hold to celebrate in her office. Streep appreciated the character's unapologetic edge, telling EW, "I liked that there wasn't any backing away from the horrible parts of her, and the real scary parts of her had to do with the fact that she didn't try to ingratiate, which is always the female emollient in any situation where you want your way." Before accepting, Streep negotiated her salary, explaining to Variety, "The offer was, to my mind slightly, if not insulting, not perhaps reflective of my actual value to the project. There was my 'goodbye moment,' and then they doubled the offer. I was 55, and I had just learned, at a very late date, how to deal on my own behalf."
Streep also shaped Miranda's look and key scenes, insisting on the "cerulean sweater" monologue and a vulnerable hotel room moment. She arrived at a studio meeting with her signature white hair, channeling the character so effectively that, as Frankel recalled to EW, "there was no conversation about the hair; they looked into Meryl's eyes and never said a word."
Hathaway's path to Andy was circuitous; she was the ninth choice, as she revealed on RuPaul's Drag Race. Though she didn't audition, she launched a campaign, including writing "hire me" in the sand of Hacken's zen garden. Upon hearing the news, Hathaway told Variety, she ran half-dressed into her living room, screaming, "I got The Devil Wears Prada!" Rachel McAdams turned down the role three times, citing her commitments to films like The Family Stone, while Kate Hudson passed due to timing, later regretting it on Capital FM’s Capital Breakfast in February 2025: "It was one of those things where I couldn’t do it, and I should’ve made it happen, and I didn’t. That was one where when I saw it I was like, 'Ugh.'" Streep's endorsement after seeing Hathaway in Brokeback Mountain helped secure the part.
Casting Emily Charlton was equally rigorous, with Frankel viewing over 100 auditions. Blunt, auditioning casually in sweatpants while rushing for a flight after trying out for Eragon, impressed him. She recalled to Variety receiving the callback from a London dive bar bathroom: "He said, 'Listen I would have cast you off the tape, but the studio wants to see you one more time. Can you do what you did but dress the part more?'" The role was rewritten from American to British after hearing her accent, with McKenna adding Britishisms over coffee. Blunt also improvised the line "I'm hearing this" from observing a stressed mother in a supermarket, as she shared on The Howard Stern Show.
Stanley Tucci joined Nigel at the last minute and improvised gems like "Gird your loins" during Miranda's entrance scene, though alternatives like "Tits in!" were cut after laughter derailed takes, per his EW interview. The film inadvertently sparked personal connections for Tucci; he met his future wife, Felicity Blunt (Emily's sister), at the 2006 premiere while still married to his late first wife, Kate, who had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. As Tucci told People, Kate and Felicity spoke that night, and a photo of them exists.
Supporting roles added flavor, with Tracie Thoms landing Lily on her 30th birthday in August 2005 while at a Dartmouth workshop. She told E! News the call came over cafeteria lunch: "Hey, so you booked Devil Wears Prada. Happy birthday!" Thoms admired co-star Adrian Grenier's fan interactions, where he promoted his band The Honey Brothers' CD instead of just signing autographs. She regretted missing out on a Marc Jacobs bag prop after her planned "theft" scene was cut.
As The Devil Wears Prada 2 approaches release, the trailer's fan intrusion underscores the enduring cultural impact of the franchise. With its blend of returning stars and fresh faces, the sequel arrives amid renewed interest in the original's behind-the-scenes tales, reminding audiences why a job at Runway still captivates imaginations nearly two decades later.