Disney's 'Cruella' Starring Emma Stone Begins Filming October, New Writer Hired

Disney's live-action adaptation of "Cruella" starring Emma Stone is supposed to begin rolling the cameras this October. The studio has reportedly also hired a new scribe to rewrite the script. The movie has a 2018 target date of release in theaters. It is one in a dozen of movies Disney has planned for live action presentation for the next three years.

Tracking-Board reports that Disney has enlisted writer Jez Butterworth to rework the "Cruella" live action screenplay before filming begins this October. Butterworth comes aboard to assist Kelly Marcel, who was announced as head writer for the movie back in 2015. Development for the newest adaptation of "Cruella" started as far as 2013, when Disney hired "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" creator Aline Brosh McKenna to do the movie's drafts.

Butterworth's writing credentials include "Spectre" and "Edge of Tomorrow," while Marcel is best known for her work on "Fifty Shades of Grey" and Disney's "Saving Mr. Banks." "Cruella" is expected to have a comedy treatment and the writers' combination of talents should be interesting to see.

Emma Stone's casting announcement for "Cruella" was confirmed back in April and speculations are that her take will be more sinister than an earlier Disney movie. In 1996, Glenn Close played the villain Cruella De Vil in the live action treatment for "101 Dalmatians" and she made the character iconic. Interestingly enough, Close will still be attached to "Cruella" as she is one of the film's executive producer, per The Hollywood Reporter.

The character of Cruella De Vil first surfaced in the novel, "The Hundred and One Dalmatians," written by Dodie Smith, which was published in 1956. Disney developed an animated movie based off this novel, and then later on did two live action features with Glenn Close.

"In the book she's the devil, pure and simple," said Close about Cruella De Vil in a 1996 interview with Chicago Tribune. "It's not complicated. It's this bad person who wants fur," she added.

Follow more news and updates about "Cruella" with Emma Stone here on Parent Herald. Watch Glenn Close talk about the character in the video below.