The Devil Wears Prada 2 arrives as one of the most anticipated returns to a cinematic world that has, since 2006, shaped how audiences understand the intersection of fashion, power, ambition, and personal reinvention.
Twenty years after making their iconic turns as Miranda, Andy, Emily and Nigel—Meryl Streep, Anne
Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci return to the fashionable streets of New York City and the
sleek offices of Runway Magazine in 20th Century Studios’ The Devil Wears Prada 2, the eagerly
awaited sequel to the 2006 phenomenon that defined a generation.
The film is directed by David Frankel, written by Aline Brosh McKenna, produced by Wendy Finerman, and executive produced by Michael Bederman, Karen Rosenfelt and Aline Brosh McKenna.
“The question of how Miranda Priestly would preside over the demise of her empire became fascinating
to us. How long do you keep doing this? When is it time to go? Or for Andy Sachs—20 years after you’ve
thrown your phone into a fountain and walked away from Runway to work at a newspaper, what would
it take for you to go back? We wanted to explore the compromises that these characters have to make to
maintain their careers. If the first movie was a bildungsroman where a young person is learning who they
are in the world, the sequel is about a mature woman facing the reality of all the choices she’s made in
her life,” says director David Frankel.
“Twenty years ago, we were all pretty convinced that we shouldn’t do a sequel,” says Aline Brosh McKenna. “Everybody was happy to let the film exist on its own. Then the world started to change and we were all aware that these characters—who we thought about often and were still very present for us after all these years—that their lives would’ve changed quite a bit. So, it started to become more interesting to think about what they’d be doing and how they would deal with the new circumstances of the world that we live in. And I think that’s what we were waiting for: something that allowed us to see these characters in a new light.”
“There’s something about this story and these characters and their journeys that seems to inspire joy.
There’s a wish fulfilment to it, but there’s also something very joyful and exciting about watching
someone like Andy go for her dreams. I know a lot of people were inspired by her journey the first time,
and I hope they can identify with her and the choices that she makes. She’s a grown woman now, and
she has a different point of view, but in some ways, she’s still that cheerful, hopeful, optimistic lady that
she was in the first film. So, it is as fun and joyful a movie as you can make about the implosion of several
workplaces at the same time.”
How Aline Brosh McKenna Writes a Screenplay, and How That Informs Prada 2
Aline Brosh McKenna wrote the screenplay for The Devil Wears Prada, and by extension, the sequel, using a process that blends sharp structural discipline with emotional intelligence, character‑driven architecture, and a journalist’s instinct for observing how power actually works inside institutions.
McKenna approaches screenwriting with a blend of classical Hollywood structure and contemporary emotional nuance. Her process begins with deep research, especially when adapting a novel.
For the first film, she immersed herself in Lauren Weisberger’s book, the culture of fashion magazines, and the lived experiences of assistants, editors, and creative directors. For the sequel, she draws from Weisberger’s follow‑up novel Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns, but she does not treat the book as a rigid blueprint. Instead, she identifies the emotional spine, the core conflict among ambition, identity, and mentorship, and then builds a cinematic narrative around it.
McKenna is known for her character‑first outlining. Before she writes scenes, she maps out what each character wants, what they fear, what they hide, and what they must confront. In the Prada universe, this means understanding Andy, Miranda, Emily, and Nigel not as archetypes but as evolving human beings shaped by time, industry shifts, and personal growth. She has said in interviews that she always asks: What is the emotional cost of success for this character? What is the price of reinvention? These questions drive her structural decisions.
Her outlines are famously detailed and architectural; she builds the film beat by beat, ensuring that every scene turns the story, escalates conflict, or reveals a contradiction. She uses a three‑act structure but treats it flexibly, allowing character arcs to dictate pacing. For Prada 2, this means the story is not simply a nostalgic return but a confrontation with the modern realities of digital media, branding, and the shifting power dynamics between generations of women in leadership.
McKenna also writes with a strong sense of dialogue rhythm. She crafts lines that are sharp, witty, and emotionally loaded without ever feeling overwritten. Her dialogue often reveals status, hierarchy, and vulnerability in the same breath. Miranda’s clipped precision, Andy’s earnest intelligence, Emily’s brittle ambition. These voices are distinct because McKenna builds them from psychological truth rather than caricature.
Another hallmark of her process is collaboration with actors and directors. During the first film, she worked closely with Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci, adjusting scenes to match their instincts and deepen the emotional stakes. Streep famously contributed to the creation of Miranda’s quiet, lethal tone—something McKenna embraced and rewrote around. For the sequel, with David Frankel returning as director, McKenna’s writing is shaped by a shared understanding of tone: elegant, sharp, emotionally grounded, and visually expressive.
McKenna also writes with a strong sense of theme. In her work, from Prada to Crazy Ex‑Girlfriend, she interrogates ambition, identity, reinvention, and the tension between personal and professional selves. For Prada 2, the thematic engine is reinvention in a world where the rules have changed. She explores how women navigate power differently in 2026: the pressures of digital visibility, the collapse of print prestige, the rise of branding as identity, and the emotional cost of maintaining relevance.
Her process includes multiple drafts, each one refining structure, tightening dialogue, and sharpening emotional clarity. She has said she rewrites “relentlessly,” often discovering the film’s true shape only after several iterations. She also tests scenes for emotional truth—if a moment feels false, sentimental, or convenient, she rewrites until it earns its place.
Finally, McKenna writes with a deep respect for tone. The Devil Wears Prada is not a satire, not a comedy, not a drama—it is a tonal hybrid. She balances glamour with grit, humour with heartbreak, aspiration with critique. For the sequel, she preserves that tonal DNA while updating it for a world where fashion is no longer just an industry but a global digital ecosystem.
Aline Brosh McKenna is an acclaimed screenwriter, producer, and director, best known for her sharp, character‑driven storytelling and her ability to adapt complex material into emotionally resonant, commercially successful films. A six‑week screenwriting course at New York University changed her trajectory: the script she wrote there helped her secure an agent, and by age 26, she had sold both a feature screenplay and a TV pilot. She relocated to Los Angeles in 1991, where she continued developing her craft, writing for television, including an episode of All‑American Girl, before her first produced film, Three to Tango, was released in 1999.
Her breakthrough came with her adaptation of Lauren Weisberger’s novel The Devil Wears Prada into the 2006 film. McKenna was the fifth and final writer hired to adapt the novel, and the first woman, ultimately delivering the version that became a cultural phenomenon. The film earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay and established her reputation for writing sharp, emotionally layered workplace narratives. She has described the film not as a romantic comedy but as “competence porn,” emphasising Andy’s journey toward self‑knowledge and professional clarity.
McKenna went on to write several successful films, including 27 Dresses (2008), Morning Glory (2010), and We Bought a Zoo (2011). She later co‑created the critically acclaimed musical‑comedy series Crazy Ex‑Girlfriend, which showcased her versatility as a storyteller and earned widespread praise for its innovative structure and emotional intelligence. She continues to work across film and television, most recently writing and producing new projects while remaining a central creative force behind The Devil Wears Prada’s enduring legacy.
