This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
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In a scene from “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” villainous fashion editor Miranda Priestly (played by Meryl Streep) laments missing out on much of her twin daughters’ lives. Climbing the fashion industry ladder comes at a cost, but to her, it was worth it because, as she puts it, “I love working. I really do … I just love it.&#8221; 
In an <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/celebrity/meryl-streep-says-working-moms-aren-t-selfish-we-re-human-beings/ar-AA2288V4#image=1">interview</a>, Streep revealed that the last line was an ad-lib, a nod to the generation of women who chased work instead of being dedicated to motherhood. Streep called the feeling of loving work analogous to sneaking a cigarette because women’s pursuit of work was labeled “selfish.”
A generation of modern feminists is aghast at younger women’s embrace of traditional roles, traditional families, and traditional values. Streep is coy in this interview, but Sheryl Sandberg, former Facebook chief operating officer, is more explicit with her disdain toward the traditional wife movement. The woman who spent over a decade telling women to “lean in” to work outside of the home <a href="https://people.com/sheryl-sandberg-the-tradwife-trend-is-not-a-fresh-idea-11922052">blasted</a> the trad wife movement as “very detrimental to women” and founded on “sexist” notions of women&#8217;s roles. In a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DV1J49KkYKT/">social media post</a>, she chided us to “leave the 1950s where they belong: in the past.”
The alarmism over how trad wives might derail women’s economic progress is overblown. Women continue to opt to work for different reasons, some for fulfillment and others out of necessity. The labor force participation rates among those of prime working age (25 to 54) have <a href="https://www.frbsf.org/research-and-insights/publications/economic-letter/2025/02/whats-driving-labor-force-participation-among-women/#:~:text=Labor%20force%20participation%20among%20people,beyond%20the%20current%20economic%20expansion">surged</a> since the pandemic, with women driving more of the increase than men.
The number of moms with underage children in the workforce has been rising over the past two decades. The labor force participation rate for mothers with children under age 18 was <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/famee.nr0.htm#:~:text=In%202025%2C%2068.0%20percent%20of,than%20those%20with%20younger%20children.">73.9%</a> in 2025, little changed from 2024, but up from <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/famee_04212020.pdf">72.3%</a> in 2019, <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/famee_04262012.htm#:~:text=Mothers%20The%20labor%20force%20participation,living%20apart%20from%20their%20spouse.">70.9%</a> in 2010, and <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/history/famee_04192001.txt">72.3%</a> in 2000.
Not surprisingly, unwed mothers are consistently more likely to participate in the labor force than married mothers (78% and 72%, respectively, in 2025). Mothers of older kids are more likely to participate in the labor force than mothers with young children (78% and 68%, respectively). Those shares have all risen since 2000, indicating that female workers are still “leaning in” to work outside of the home. 
Coming out of the pandemic, <a href="https://time.com/7306896/women-leaving-workforce/">anecdotally</a>, some high-earning women decided they didn’t want to miss the moments in their children’s lives that girl bosses like Sandberg gave up. Their spouses could sustain the household financially. 
As prices surged in 2022 and onward, other women may have given up the lifestyle that two paychecks afforded them by quitting to save on childcare costs while gaining time with their little ones. <a href="https://www2.census.gov/library/working-papers/2025/adrm/ces/CES-WP-25-/">Surveys consistently indicate</a> that high childcare costs push some mothers out of the workforce or force them to reduce hours because the math no longer works. <a href="https://www.independentwomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Reclaiming-Affordability-Report.pdf">Deregulation and tax reforms</a> are needed to expand childcare options for parents. 
For some women, motherhood is their aspiration. Some “trad wife” influencers certainly go overboard and create unrealistic expectations for what you have to do to be a “good” mom or wife. But at its core, the “trad wife” movement is simply the modern version of “homemaking,” a term all but erased from modern vernacular by feminists. Many women find dignity, beauty, and value in fully dedicating their time to their spouses and children. That should not be denigrated.  
Here’s what Sandberg gets right. It should be a woman’s choice to decide how much to prioritize family life over work. The good news is that women don’t just have a binary choice of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-girl-boss-dream-promised-women-everything-why-so-many-now-want-out">girl boss or trad wife</a>. Millions of women are engaged in a third way that grants them the flexibility to be a present mother while earning a respectable living or supplementing the household budget. 
From full self-employment to gig work, about half of the over <a href="https://info.mbopartners.com/rs/mbo/images/MBO_2023_State_of_Independence_Research_Report.pdf">70 million</a> Americans who freelanced last year were women. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2022/03/08/indeed-study-shows-women-took-gig-work-preferring-flexibility-over-stability-during-the-pandemic/">Nine out of 10</a> women who left a traditional job to become an independent contractor did so for flexibility. This arrangement provides them the freedom to work while nestling a newborn at home or attending an afternoon soccer game. Employment without the motherhood guilt.
As women and couples raise children farther away from longstanding caregiving support networks, such as grandparents, aunts, and cousins, self-employment through freelancing and gig work is all the more important. Not every mother can afford an army of nannies.
This third way has champions in Washington. The Trump administration, which has several working mothers in high-ranking positions, recognizes that independent work is important to women. In a win for women, the Department of Labor recently proposed a <a href="https://www.independentwomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IW-Public-Comment-Regarding-Independent-Contractor-Rule-2026.pdf">sound and welcome</a> worker classification standard that protects independent contracting. This rule is a 180-degree change from President Joe Biden’s anti-flexible work regulatory approach. However, unless Congress codifies this effort through pro-worker legislation such as the <a href="https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/senators-scott-cassidy-paul-release-legislative-package-empowering-independent-workers-to-access-portable-benefits/">Modern Worker Empowerment Act</a>, another freelancer-unfriendly administration could overturn it, as happened before. 
This Mother’s Day, American women don’t need scoldings or slights, but respect for the choices we make. Thankfully, we live in a nation that generates pathways for women to craft fulfilling lives without the mommy guilt.
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Patrice Onwuka is the vice president for economic policy and director of the Center for Economic Opportunity at Independent Women. She also cohosts WMAL’s O’Connor &amp; Company.

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Meryl Streep Just Said The Quiet Part Out Loud About Career Women And Motherhood

employment

Motherhood

Movies

Upstream

The Justin Baldoni-Blake Lively legal drama has come to an end without the spectacle of a trial, and legal experts are saying both sides spent “an obscene amount” of money in the process.
The former co-stars settled the matter two weeks before the trial was scheduled to kick off in New York, after filing multiple lawsuits and counter suits against each other. New York-based attorney Richard Schoenstein, who does not represent either party, <a href="https://people.com/how-much-did-blake-lively-and-justin-baldoni-s-it-ends-with-us-dispute-cost-exclusive-11967317">discussed</a> the likely financial fallout with People. 
“The combined legal expense is in the multiple millions. There are around 1,500 docket entries, countless lawyers on both sides, and these are high-priced firms billing well over $1,000 an hour,” Schoenstein said, which fellow NY-based attorney Megan Thomas agreed with. She said the two parties spent “an obscene amount” over the past two years. 
“I can&#8217;t give a number, but both sides had multiple lawyers,” Thomas added.
Schoenstein added that mounting costs likely had a lot to do with Lively and Baldoni reaching a settlement. Plus, with both sides having their claims dismissed or reduced, it ended up not being worth the hassle.
“I think they settled because the case wasn&#8217;t worth it at this point for either of them,” Schoenstein told the outlet. “The case had been reduced — his counterclaims were dismissed, and her claims were substantially narrowed. There wasn&#8217;t enough to gain from going to trial given the cost, which would have been extremely high, in the millions.”
The legal drama between the former costars started in December 2024 when Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment, retaliation, and attempting to “destroy” her reputation. This came after she starred opposite Baldoni in “It Ends With Us,” a film he also directed.
Baldoni fervently denied the claims, responding with a countersuit against his co-star and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds. He also sued The New York Times for $250 million in a defamation claim for an article about the situation, which he says is “rife with inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and omissions.” The countersuit was dismissed by the judge in June 2025.
A federal judge in New York ruled in early April to dismiss 10 of Blake Lively’s 13 claims against Baldoni, including those related to harassment, defamation, and conspiracy. 
As both cases fell apart and attorney fees kept climbing, the former co-stars finally came to a confidential settlement on Monday, May 4. It is rumored that the only ones who got paid in the end were the lawyers. 
&#8220;The end product — the movie ‘It Ends With Us’ — is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life. Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors — and all survivors — is a goal that we stand behind,&#8221; a statement from Baldoni and Lively provided to Fox News Digital <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/blake-lively-justin-baldoni-settlement-reportedly-ends-no-money-expert-calls-complete-disaster">said</a>.
&#8220;We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.&#8221;

Blake Lively Justin Baldoni

Hollywood’s Biggest Legal Feud Collapses After ‘Millions’ Wasted On Lawyers

Blake Lively

Celebrities

Court

Entertainment

Lawsuit

New York

As fans speculate about casting decisions for Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated summer blockbuster, “The Odyssey,” the Academy Award-winning director is keeping details under wraps other than to say it’s going to be comparable to a Marvel franchise.
Nolan appeared on Monday night’s episode of “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert to discuss some aspects of the project. He said the poet Homer, who is credited with writing “The Odyssey,” created the basis upon which all superhero films are built.
“Even comic book culture, whether you’re talking about Marvel or DC or all the rest, a lot of it comes directly from the Homeric Epics,” the director said. “The thing about Homer is, nobody knows if that was a person. Homer, in a way, is the sort of George Lucas of his time.”
He said later, “The thing about Homer, it is the Marvel of its day. It’s very directly this desire for us to feel or believe gods could walk amongst us, and I think the modern comic book is kind of our expression of that.”
Nolan also had rave reviews for Tom Holland, who plays Odysseus’ son Telemachus, calling him an “incredible talent.” 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Superheroes Of Our Time Come Directly From Homer&#039;s Epics - &quot;The Odyssey&quot; Director Christopher Nolan" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mk5FthNfUxg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The “Oppenheimer” director is considered one of the best in the business, but fans are skeptical of a few controversial casting options. Elliot Page, a woman who identifies as a man, is in the cast and is rumored to be playing the Olympian messenger god Hermes. That role has not been confirmed, however.
Another potential casting choice causing an uproar is Lupita Nyong&#8217;o as Helen of Troy. Helen, also known as &#8220;the face that launched a thousand ships,&#8221; was traditionally blonde and considered the most beautiful woman in the world at the time. Critics are saying the decision to cast Nyong’o in that role is a mistake, but it’s only a rumor that she’ll be playing that part. 
Matt Damon portrays Odysseus, King of Ithaca, while Robert Pattinson stars as Antinous. Anne Hathaway was cast as Odysseus’ wife Penelope.
Nolan <a href="https://apnews.com/article/summer-movie-preview-2026-b09b6e9cd8c679a07b95ce5cc7512a74">told</a> the Associated Press last week that he felt a “massive amount of pressure” to adapt the story and said that he “really tried to make the best film possible.”
“Anyone taking on ‘The Odyssey’ is taking on the hopes and dreams of people for epic movies everywhere and that comes with a huge responsibility,” he told the outlet. “What I learned from [making ‘The Dark Knight’ trilogy] is that what people want from a movie about a beloved story, a beloved set of characters, is they want a strong and sincere interpretation. They want to know that a filmmaker has gone to the mat for it.”
The saga hits theaters on July 17, 2026.

Christopher Nolan

‘The Odyssey’ Director Keeps Mum On Role Going To Trans-Identifying Actor

Elliot Page

Matt Damon

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
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Hollywood nostalgia bait cash-grab sequels are out of control, but “The Devil Wears Prada 2” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-prada-2-could-succeed-where-woke-hollywood-keeps-failing">respects</a> its audience and the original story. And yes, I have to confess that this particular sequel was practically engineered in a lab to be sentimental for people like me.
I was nine years old when the first film came out (just a couple of years younger than Miranda Priestly’s “Harry Potter”-loving twins), and I watched it at sleepovers and movie nights with friends, enthralled by Andy Sachs’ glamorous life working at a New York City magazine. Now, 20 years later, I joined one of my girlfriends and a gaggle of other ladies (and plus ones) to watch the sequel on opening night. It didn’t disappoint. 
The plot follows a familiar pattern: Andy (Anne Hathaway) once again finds herself at Runway magazine (a stand-in for Vogue), butting heads with its legendary and ruthless editor, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). This time, modernity has truly set in. Andy has just been laid off from her job at a serious news organization, and she has gone viral for making an impassioned speech in defense of journalism. (That falls a little flat in the year of our Lord 2026, of course, but we’ll let it slide.)
Miranda’s higher-ups have brought Andy back in hopes that she can restore some credibility in the wake of a fast-fashion scandal. Suddenly, Andy, Miranda, and Nigel (Stanley Tucci) are reunited, with Simone Ashley serving up dry wit as Miranda’s current assistant, Amari. 
Times have changed, and Miranda has gotten one too many HR complaints for chucking her coat in the general direction of her various underlings. But she has proven too big to cancel, as several jokes are made at the expense of her exasperated assistant and her attempts at language policing.
Staring disapprovingly at a washed-out fashion shoot, Miranda prods, “The models were encouraged to mill around like starving goats in the parking lot of a methadone clinic in New Jersey?”
When Amari clears her throat, Miranda doubles down: “What am I not allowed to say? Methadone? New Jersey?”
The film is brimming with beautiful people wearing beautiful clothes, and it&#8217;s chock-full of cameos, featuring everyone from Donatella Versace and Lady Gaga to Jenna Bush Hager — with one notable exception. Andy’s old boyfriend, Nate (Adrian Grenier), who the internet has decided was the real villain of the original, <a href="https://ew.com/why-adrian-grenier-didnt-return-devil-wears-prada-2-11955098">did not make it</a> to the sequel. That&#8217;s probably for the best. The film is only slightly heavy-handed with its callbacks to the original (including the belts that are &#8220;so different,&#8221; the inviolability of Miranda&#8217;s staircase, and Andy&#8217;s cerulean sweater).
The plot is less madcap than that of the first film (who can forget when Andy scrambles to get her hands on the unpublished “Harry Potter” manuscript for Miranda’s twins?), though it is still full of funny moments, mostly thanks to Miranda’s and Nigel’s devastating criticisms. After lamenting that Runway is now online-only, Nigel tells Andy he used to get weeks to travel the world for a magazine spread.
“Now,” he says, “I’m lucky if I get two days … to shoot content for people to scroll past whilst they pee.”
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” meets the modern era and its discontents — the villain is a tech bro in the vein of Jeff Bezos — without either getting too political or too depressing. The threat of AI has arrived; the billionaire is hoping to acquire Runway and outsource its work to artificial intelligence. Miranda’s appeals to “a commitment to beauty, artistry, the best in human achievement” fall on deaf ears. But it’s a comedy, and of course, all is well in the end. 
This sequel manages to update its predecessor for a more digital world without too many hokey references to Gen Z or TikTok. The new landscape, however, proves that the halcyon days of the female journalist with the cool writing gig and the unattainably large New York City apartment — think “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” “Sex in the City,” “Confessions of a Shopaholic” — are over. Some other prevailing archetype for the rom-com is destined to take its place, and audiences are ready for the genre&#8217;s revival. 
Fortunately, Hollywood seems to have learned a lesson from the success of the &#8220;Barbie&#8221; movie, which is that women will go to the theater with other women (and indulgent husbands) for a film that promises beauty, escapism, and hopefully a little bit of romance. We don’t need more gritty realism or political lectures. We want to see Meryl Streep pursing her lips disapprovingly at Anne Hathaway’s wide-lipped smile and Stanley Tucci rattling off the names of designers as he grabs a pair of sparkly pants for his protégé.
To quote Cyndi Lauper, girls just want to have fun. And “The Devil Wears Prada 2” delivers it.

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‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Is The Rare Hollywood Sequel That Actually Respects Its Audience

The long-awaited sequel to 2006’s smash hit “The Devil Wears Prada” is getting some pushback, being accused of “blatant racism” for leaning into Asian stereotypes.
“The Devil Wears Prada 2,” starring Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep, is getting blasted over a brief moment in a trailer. The scene introduces Andy Sachs&#8217; (Hathaway) new assistant, Jin Chao, played by Helen J. Shen, who some say is portrayed as a nerdy, socially awkward Ivy League grad.
In the trailer, Andy appears reserved upon meeting Jin, prompting the assistant to quickly rattle off her credentials.
“If you don’t want me, you can interview someone else. That’s totally fine,” Jin says. “I did go to Yale, 3.86 GPA, lead soprano of [Yale singing group] the Whiffenpoofs, and my ACT score was 36 on the very first time.”
Commenters also took issue with the way Jin donned a buttoned-up collared shirt and thick glasses, which they argue feel out of place for employees at a major fashion company.
Social media users from around the world, especially in Asian countries, expressed their frustration with the clip.
“The promotion up to this point was really great, but right before release, they suddenly hit us with blatant anti-Asian racism and flipped the car,” one user in Japan wrote in a post that’s been viewed more than 16 million times.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
プラダを着た悪魔、ここまでのプロモーションめっちゃ良かったのに、公開直前に突然ド直球のアジア人差別を見せつけてきて横転 <a href="https://t.co/uNUYIzXl7U">https://t.co/uNUYIzXl7U</a>
— 黄色人種ちゃん (@dekaketu_purin) <a href="https://twitter.com/dekaketu_purin/status/2046767047435247708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“We are in 2026… what made them think we’ll find this kind of racism funny,” another commenter <a href="https://x.com/kaxishk/status/2046919948384243754?s=20">said</a>. 
“Short stature, messy hair, childish clothing, big glasses, a ton of qualifications and high education and grades, servile and incompetent, a name that sounds just like &#8216;Ching Chang Chong,'&#8221; a third person echoed. “In this day and age, deliberately clipping out such a thick, over-the-top level of Asian stereotype that&#8217;s actually rare nowadays for ad use—did they judge that going full-on with the blatant discrimination would be more commercially appealing??”
As The Hollywood Reporter <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/devil-wears-prada-2-racism-backlash-asia-1236574540/">noted</a>, a lot of the widespread criticism is the result of X posts being automatically translated, meaning comments from around the world are being circulated in the United States.
However, some, including Korean-American filmmaker Joseph Kahn, said the backlash reflects a cultural misunderstanding and claims that Jin is so weird she’s cool, at least to a Gen Z audience. 
“There&#8217;s an uproar with Japanese Twitter about this Asian character. They feel she&#8217;s a caricature, which she is, but not about Asians but Gen Z. Her outfit is actually very couture in a film about fashion,” he <a href="https://x.com/JosephKahn/status/2047085534103932968?s=20">wrote</a>.
“Her glasses and hair clips are of the moment. The body shape disparity comes from Anne Hathaway who mandated there would be &#8216;diversity of sizes&#8217; which could either be taken as genuine virtue signaling or an actress wanting to be the skinniest and tallest onscreen. Nevertheless, the Asian character is being depicted as a fashionable, striver in the fashion world with typical Gen Z neurodivergency.”
&#8220;Nerds don&#8217;t exist in Gen Z because they&#8217;re all awkward freaks and all dress like Nintendo cartoons,” he concluded. “Anyway Japan, welcome to America.”

Devil Wears Prada 2

Long-Awaited Hollywood Sequel Is Already Making Enemies

Hollywood

Japan

Racism

The new Michael Jackson biopic, “Michael,” was released today, and the director of “Leaving Neverland” is not pleased.
Dan Reed is known for the 2019 HBO documentary which explored the child sexual abuse allegations against the King of Pop, who died from an overdose in 2009. Reed said he can&#8217;t understand how anyone still believes Jackson should be celebrated.
&#8220;It says that people don’t care that he was a child molester. Literally, people just don’t care,&#8221; Reed told The Hollywood Reporter in an <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-dan-reed-1236571986/">interview</a> published earlier this week. &#8220;I think a lot of people just love his music and turn a deaf ear. And short of having actual video evidence of Michael Jackson engaged in sexual intercourse with a 7-year-old child, I don’t know what would be sufficient to change these people’s minds.&#8221;
“Michael” director Antoine Fuqua addressed the accusations against Jackson in an <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/27/antoine-fuqua-profile?_sp=3ac5f857-94bf-4ed7-9051-b555ea70fcdf.1776878032698">interview</a> with The New Yorker published Monday. &#8220;Sometimes people do some nasty things for some money,&#8221; he said of the multiple claims from victims who claimed Jackson abused them.
Reed responded to that, saying, &#8220;For Antoine Fuqua to accuse people of gold digging is kind of ironic… It seems to me all the people involved in this movie are just making bank.&#8221;
&#8220;How can you tell an authentic story about Michael Jackson without ever mentioning the fact that he was seriously accused of being a child molester?&#8221; Reed added. &#8220;I just don’t really see it. If anyone’s making money, it’s Michael Jackson’s estate and the people who worked on this biographical picture.&#8221;
“Wade and James, the protagonists of ‘Leaving Neverland,’ have never made a cent from their accusations,&#8221; Reed went on. &#8220;People don’t seem to understand: If you bring a lawsuit, you don’t get any money until you win in court. And when you win in court, that means you’ve proved your case, right?&#8221;
The “Leaving Neverland” director also accused the media of “sucking up” to the Jackson estate for fear of retribution from the fans.
&#8220;So a lot of people, I think, will kind of swallow any misgivings they may have and just sort of say, &#8216;Oh well, it’s a great jukebox movie&#8217; and just completely ignore the fact that this guy was worse than Jeffrey Epstein.&#8221;
Jackson was first accused of sexual abuse by a 13-year-old boy in 1993. That case was settled for $20 million, and the pop singer never faced criminal charges. He was arrested on child molestation charges in 2003 and was acquitted in 2005. After Jackson’s death, more alleged victims came forward and sued Jackson’s estate in 2013.
There are rumors floating around that the original version of “Michael” did address the allegations, but those parts were cut due to a clause in the original settlement that provided the story could never be the subject of a movie. Actor Colman Domingo mentioned the omission while teasing the possibility of a sequel.
“The film takes place from the ’60s to 1988, so it does not go into the first allegations,” the actor, who plays Joe Jackson in the movie, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59jEWDncv28">said</a> during a &#8220;Today&#8221; show appearance. “So basically, we centered it on the makings of Michael. So, it’s an intimate portrait of who Michael is … through his eyes.”
Domingo hinted at the &#8220;possibility&#8221; of a sequel, which he hinted would include the sexual abuse trial storyline.
“Michael” is getting mixed reviews, but is still expected to do well at the box office this weekend due to the devoted fans who will go see it no matter what.

Michael

Director Slams Michael Jackson Biopic Hype: ‘Worse Than Jeffrey Epstein’

Michael Jackson

U.S.

In a feel-good moment for movie fans, it was announced on Wednesday that puppeteer James Ortiz is eligible for a Best Supporting Actor award at next year’s Oscars, per <a href="https://variety.com/2026/film/awards/project-hail-mary-james-ortiz-oscars-sag-eligible-puppeteer-1236726540/">Variety</a>. Ortiz was the puppeteer and voice actor for the rock-shaped alien, Rocky, who became one of the best-loved parts of Amazon’s smash hit “Project Hail Mary” last month.
The film is expected to garner plenty of other nominations at the next Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Ryan Gosling, Best Picture, and Best Director. There’s no telling if the Academy will select Ortiz as a nominee even though he is technically eligible.
Variety also noted that his work could be recognized in the Special Achievement Award category, which was last given to “Toy Story” (1995).
“Typically, we talk about puppetry as a technical achievement, and it is,” Ortiz told the outlet.
“It’s a spectacle,” he added. “For me as a performer, however, that’s never my entry point. I’m interested in the heart of the character — what they’re trying to communicate, what they’re feeling underneath all of it. When we can take a medium like puppetry, which is often seen as decorative, and bring to life a character with a beating heart in a way that genuinely affects people, then we’re doing something truly meaningful.”
Ortiz previously discussed how much expertise and planning went into bringing Rocky to life. Fans of the film praised its overall authenticity, which included using a real puppet rather than relying on CGI.
“Rocky is super intelligent and has a mind like a computer — you never have to say anything twice to him,” Ortiz said of the character. “He’s a brilliant engineer. But his soul, to me, always felt like that of a little brother. There’s a little bit of this anxious, 14-year-old boy who really wants to be invited to the party.”
“What I loved about the process was at no point did [directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller] or anybody on the team ever treat me like I was a technician, or like a plumber who was brought in to fix a specific thing,” the puppeteer added. “At every point they would ask, ‘what do you think, would Rocky do this or that?’ And I’d think about it and tell them exactly how Rocky would feel.”
“Project Hail Mary” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hollywood-learned-the-wrong-lesson-from-project-hail-mary">dominated the box office</a> last month with an $80.5 million domestic opening weekend, with a 95% critic score and a 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. By the second weekend, the film had crossed $300 million worldwide and became the second-biggest non-franchise opening over the past decade, second only to “Oppenheimer.”

Rocky

Everyone’s Favorite Alien Could Win An Oscar

Academy Awards

Oscars

Woke Hollywood is dead, or so we thought.
The new trailer for “Ladies First” is proof that La La Land won’t give up the woke ghost.
Sacha Baron Cohen, who traded his subversive “Borat” shtick for the <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/borat-subsequent-moviefilm-review/">anti-Trump Resistance</a>, stars as a chauvinist who suffers a blow to the head and wakes up in a new reality.
Forget the patriarchy. The matriarchy now runs things in this May 22 Netflix original. The laugh-free trailer is bad enough, but the sight of Borat leaning into feminist clichés is worse.
And it’s far from alone. That “woke mind virus” is on the comeback trail.
<div id="attachment_1080199" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1080199" class="size-large wp-image-1080199" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Ladies-Night-864x576.jpg" alt="Rob Youngson/Netflix - copyright 2026 Netflix, Inc." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Ladies-Night-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Ladies-Night-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Ladies-Night-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Ladies-Night-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Ladies-Night-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Ladies-Night-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Ladies-Night.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Rob Youngson/Netflix &#8211; copyright 2026 Netflix, Inc.</div>
The proof that woke was on the run felt substantial. Real. Refreshing. Comedians were suddenly able to speak their minds without fear of reprisal. Comedy roasts made a shocking comeback, and Netflix couldn’t wait to line up rebel comics like Tony Hinchcliffe, Tim Dillon, Ricky Gervais and Shane Gillis for new projects.
Disney, the unofficial woke standard bearer, dialed down the messaging machine. The Disney+ series “Win or Lose” ditched a trans character. Big-budget releases like “Moana 2” and “Inside Out 2” left the lectures on the cutting room floor — and scored huge box office numbers along the way.
More recently, Disney-owned Pixar chief Pete Docter said his company <a href="https://variety.com/2026/film/news/pete-docter-pixar-lgbtq-storyline-elio-therapy-1236681692/">removed LGBTQ content</a> from 2025’s “Elio” because “We’re making a movie, not hundreds of millions of dollars of therapy.”
Lesson learned. Or was it?
<div id="attachment_1080169" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1080169" class="size-large wp-image-1080169" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2219557935-864x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 10: (L-R) Jim Morris, President, Pixar and Pete Docter, CCO, Pixar attend the World Premiere of Disney and Pixar's &quot;Elio&quot; at El Capitan Theatre on June 10, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney/Pixar)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2219557935-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2219557935-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2219557935-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2219557935.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney/Pixar</div>
That “Ladies First” trailer feels like it came from a 2020 time capsule. So does “Starfleet Academy.” The latest “Star Trek” TV show got roundly mocked on social media and by YouTube cutups like Nerdrotic and The Critical Drinker, who combined have millions of followers.
The show featured a charcuterie board full of woke, from the barefoot captain curling up in her chair like a Portland librarian to a gay, cross-dressing Klingon.
Mainstream critics, who lean aggressively to the Left, praised the show while audiences stayed away in droves. The show’s second season was set in motion immediately, but the <a href="https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/star-trek-starfleet-academy-canceled-season-2-1236696816/">cancellation news came nearly as fast.</a>
Hulu just dropped a new mini-season of “Malcolm in the Middle,” the early 2000s hit about a quirky, dysfunctional clan. The streamer knew it had a nostalgia-fueled hit on its hands, which may be why <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/malcolm-in-the-middle-reboot-hit-with-backlash-over-woke-changes">the creators gave</a> the clan Kelly, a “non-binary” child.
Just a coincidence? Hardly. Executive producer Tracy Katsy told Deadline.com the <a href="https://deadline.com/2026/04/malcolm-in-the-middle-creator-ep-wife-lgbtq-kids-1236786214/">reason for the inclusion angle</a>.
“Three out of four of our kids are queer, and without making it a thing and without making an issue, I think it’s really nice to have a character that, that’s just a facet of their personality as opposed to the entire story.”
<div id="attachment_1080171" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1080171" class="size-large wp-image-1080171" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270286421-864x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 07: (L-R) Christopher Masterson, Justin Berfield, Vaughan Murrae, Jane Kaczmarek, Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, Keeley Karsten, Kiana Madeira, Caleb Ellsworth-Clark, Emy Coligado and Craig Lamar Traylor attend Hulu's &quot;Malcolm in The Middle: Life's Still Unfair&quot; New York Premiere at DGA Theater on April 07, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270286421-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270286421-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270286421-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270286421.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Theo Wargo/Getty Images</div>
The diversity measure came with the de facto lecture sequence, too, along with the Mary Sue-style characterization.
Kelly uses &#8220;they/them&#8221; and is depicted as academically gifted, level-headed, and notably the only sibling without a police record.
No flaws, please. That’s another woke byproduct, removing flaws from characters meant to promote diversity and inclusion.
The show also made Stevie (Craig Lamar Traylor), who displayed heterosexual characteristics in the original series, a gay man in an interracial relationship.
The new action comedy “Normal” also squeezes a “non-binary” character into the story, played by Jess McLeod. The character, dubbed Alex, is given little backstory or depth, but Alex still plays a sizable role in the film’s second half.
This year’s “Frankenstein” reinvention, dubbed “The Bride!” featured a cavalcade of woke talking points. The titular creature inspired a wave of rebellious women fighting back against early 20th century oppression, and Jessie Buckley’s Bride literally shouts, “Me too” … twice.
And, yes, “The Bride!” may be one of 2026’s biggest box office busts with <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt30851137/?ref_=bo_se_r_1">a pathetic $12 million domestic haul.</a>
Woke isn’t just about forced, clumsy inclusion. It coaxes screenwriters to lecture viewers from a hard-Left perspective. No nuance or balance, please. There’s a PowerPoint-style message to share. It’s why shows like “Matlock” and “The Pitt” have spent serious screen time pushing an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hollywood-keeps-pushing-this-narrative-but-ignores-what-follows">aggressive, anti-ICE narrative</a> in recent weeks.
“The Pitt” also promotes an unabashed, pro-abortion agenda. The HBO Max series featured an episode with a 17-year-old pregnant teen (Abby Ryder Fortson) seeking an abortion, but she didn’t have her parents’ consent.
<div id="attachment_1080173" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1080173" class="size-large wp-image-1080173" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/pitt-noah-elevator-1024x568.jpg" alt="John Wells Productions. Max. R. Scott Gemmill Productions. Sky Studios. Warner Bros. Television. HBO Max." width="1024" height="568" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/pitt-noah-elevator-1024x568.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/pitt-noah-elevator-300x166.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/pitt-noah-elevator-768x426.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/pitt-noah-elevator-1536x851.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/pitt-noah-elevator.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />John Wells Productions. Max. R. Scott Gemmill Productions. Sky Studios. Warner Bros. Television. HBO Max.</div>
The baby in question is more than 11 weeks along, just beyond Pennsylvania’s cutoff for a legal abortion. Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) stepped in, offering to fudge the facts to secure the abortion in question. The doctors agreed that the teen deserves to have a life, as they framed it, ignoring the positive impacts of motherhood or potentially giving up the innocent baby for adoption.
The creative team behind “The Pitt” is leaning into the show’s ratings success, weaponizing the saga to advance leftist talking points as needed. It’s another familiar woke pattern — Hollywood finds success with an apolitical show or film, and later leverages that appeal to insert woke talking points.
One glaring example? Even a far-Left site like <a href="https://www.themarysue.com/endgame-girl-power-did-it-work/">TheMarySue.com cringed</a> when the once-mighty Marvel Cinematic Universe included a clunky, “girl power” moment during the epic “Avengers: Endgame” battle.
The MCU saga went woke thereafter and has yet to recover, financially speaking.
Despite these stark examples, woke isn’t the cultural force in Hollywood that it was just a few short years ago. Some savvy studio types realized that its cultural tentacles remain a financial risk, to put it bluntly.
Others are like <a href="https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220413-onoda-the-man-who-hid-in-the-jungle-for-30-years">Hiroo Onoda</a>, the Japanese soldier who kept fighting World War II for nearly 29 years after hostilities ceased.
That means it could take a few more high-profile failures for Hollywood to finally learn its lesson.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.

netflix ladies night II

Woke Hollywood Rises From The Ashes — And The Agenda Didn’t Miss A Beat

Woke Hollywood Rises From The Ashes — And The Agenda Didn't Miss A Beat

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

HBO Max

Netflix

Television

Woke Culture

The danger zone is calling — again. It’s been announced that “Top Gun 3” is officially in the works.
Paramount broke the good news at CinemaCon in Las Vegas this week, confirming that Tom Cruise will be back in a leading role. Jerry Bruckheimer is also on board as producer.
Josh Greenstein, co-head of Paramount Pictures, said it’s “officially in development with a script underway.”
Cruise did not appear live at the industry event, but footage aired in the convention hall showed the actor standing on tip of the water tower on the Paramount lot in Los Angeles.
“The future looks pretty great from here,” Cruise can be heard <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/top-gun-3-script-underway-tom-cruise-1236566290/">saying</a> in the clip.
This comes as no surprise after the massive success of “Top Gun: Maverick” in 2022. Despite a gap of 36 years between the first “Top Gun” (1986) and the sequel, it became an absolute box office smash and the most lucrative film of actor Tom Cruise’s long and successful career.
“Maverick” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/paramount-is-working-on-top-gun-3-with-tom-cruise-report?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Paramount+Is+Working+On+%E2%80%98Top+Gun+3%E2%80%99+With+Tom+Cruise%3A+Report">earned</a> a whopping $1.49 billion at the global box office. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won Best Sound.
It was also named the Best Film of 2022 by the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes. “Maverick” was rated 96% certified fresh from critics out of nearly 500 reviews and achieved a near-perfect 99% fresh audience score.
It’s believed that one reason the “Top Gun” sequel performed so well is that it was free from radical progressive messaging and virtue signaling. The action film recalled a simpler time in Hollywood, when movies were made to inspire and entertain rather than to push an agenda.
The Federalist called the “Top Gun” sequel “unabashedly patriotic” and “free of token left-wing social and political propaganda.” Reviewer Elle Reynolds wrote, “The only agenda being pushed is that America is the best country in the world and the men and women who risk their lives to defend her are heroes worthy of our respect.”
Another surprising detail about the sequel is how it appealed to a range of audiences, both young and old.

Tom Cruise

Itching For More ‘Top Gun’? A Major Update On Maverick’s Return

Paramount

Top Gun

Actress Elizabeth Banks said women in real life, particularly Trump voters, should be more like the character she played in “The Hunger Games.”
The 52-year-old made the comments during an appearance on Bustle’s “One Nightstand” podcast this week.
“Effie for me is one of the characters that has the greatest arc that I’ve ever played because obviously she props up this fascist regime that she benefits from and it’s not until she really comes to care for and see how unfair it is when they want to pull Katniss and Peeta into the games again…” Banks said, referencing the plot of the popular films based on the dystopian book series. 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="One Nightstand With Elizabeth Banks | Bustle" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I3nnXnxwt7w?start=1&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“I think in ‘Catching Fire’ when she’s like, ‘I want to be part of this team,’ and you really see her struggling and then by the end she’s like a revolutionary… I wish more of us were becoming revolutionaries!” she went on. “Effie is the model, guys! I don’t understand the 53% of white ladies that didn’t vote for Kamala.”
Banks played Effie in all four installments of “The Hunger Games” movie franchise between 2012 and 2015. The character is known for being flamboyant and completely devoted to the system at first, but eventually starts doubting their motives after developing relationships with contestants in the fight-to-the-death games that pit human beings against each other.
Banks is a well-known Democratic supporter and liberal activist who frequently engages in political discourse, shills for abortion access, and takes particular issue with the president. At the 2016 Democratic National Convention, she compared Trump to her over-the-top character in the film series.
“Some of you know me from ‘The Hunger Games,’ in which I play a cruel, out-of-touch reality TV star who wears insane wigs while delivering long-winded speeches to a violent dystopia,” she <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/dnc-2016-elizabeth-banks-226250">said at the time</a>. “So when I tuned in to Cleveland last week I was like hey, that’s my act.”

Elizabeth Banks

Actress Targets Female Trump Voters, Urges Them To Think Like Her Dystopian Character

Donald Trump

Kamala Harris

Amazon MGM Studios made a big promise to keep putting out theatrical releases in the wake of “Project Hail Mary” dominating the box office last month.
The announcement came from the main stage at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Wednesday night, as Deadline <a href="https://deadline.com/2026/04/mike-hopkins-amazon-mgm-theatrical-cinemacon-1236862584/">reported</a>, with Amazon promising to drop $1 billion annually on bringing movies to the big screen.
“While some of our competitors have dipped their toes in and out of the theatrical waters, for us, this isn’t a test or an experiment. Our commitment to release at least 15 films every year into your theaters is on schedule,” studio head Mike Hopkins said, taking a not-so-subtle dig at other streaming platforms that are in the movie business. 
“As I say to our team constantly, our ambition for theatrical film is in the top half of the first inning. Project Hail Mary is just the beginning,” he added.
“Project Hail Mary” was touted as a proof of concept, with the creative team, filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and star Ryan Gosling, who plays the lead character, appearing on stage.
“Hail Mary” just crossed $525 million at the global box office, making it the company&#8217;s most successful movie ever.
Amazon MGM&#8217;s head of domestic theatrical distribution Kevin Wilson said the future was bright. 
“Last year we introduced a slate built to make audiences lean in. A mix of bold originals and iconic IP. That is who we are. And since then, we’ve delivered results,” the exec added from the stage. 
“Four months. Four films. Over $670 million at the box office. And we have nine more on the way. We said 15 films by 2027 — and we meant it. But this is not about volume. It is about impact. We are building films that give audiences a reason to leave the house. Films with scale. Ambition. Something to say.”
“That expertise is now applied with a singular focus: not just releasing films, but championing each one with the care, rigor, and creativity it deserves,” Amazon MGM’s Head of Global Marketing Susan Kroll said. “And now, we have the ability to pair that foundation with something entirely unique — the full power and reach of Amazon.”
The company also teased upcoming projects, including “The Sheep Detectives” and the highly anticipated sequel “Spaceballs 2.”

In this photo illustration, the Amazon MGM Studios logo is

Amazon MGM Studios Makes Huge Promise To Movie Theaters

Amazon

Movie Theaters

Some belated sequels crash and burn on arrival. Think “Zoolander 2,” “Blues Brothers 2000,” “Terminator: Dark Fate” and “Independence Day: Resurgence.”
All duds or box office disappointments.
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” won’t suffer that fate, despite the 20-year gap between the two films. In fact, the sequel might mimic another recent blockbuster that lured women back to theaters in droves.
The 2023 smash “Barbie.”
That film wasn’t just a box office juggernaut. It convinced women to dress up in the grand Barbie tradition to enjoy the experience with their best gal pals. It became a cultural flashpoint, a chance to bond over childhood memories and sisterhood.
Will “Prada 2” be a spiritual sequel to that mega-hit?
<div id="attachment_1076167" style="width: 399px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1076167" class="size-large wp-image-1076167" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2-389x576.jpg" alt="Photo by 20th Century Studios/20TH CENTURY STUDIOS - copyright: 2026 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved. IMDB." width="389" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2-389x576.jpg 389w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2-202x300.jpg 202w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2-768x1138.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2-1037x1536.jpg 1037w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2.jpg 1086w" sizes=" (max-width: 389px) 100vw, 389px" />Photo by 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.</div>
The safest bet is “absolutely.” Box Office Pro predicts the sequel will <a href="https://www.boxofficepro.com/long-range-forecast-may-box-office-kicks-off-with-the-devil-wears-prada-2-animal-farm-hokum/">land in the $80-95 million range</a>, a hefty debut for a comedy. Word of mouth might do the rest.
For contrast, the original scored $27.5 million over a Fourth of July weekend.
Why the optimism? Let’s start with the film’s first teaser, which didn’t share much in its brief running time. The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMd1at7OwiE">under-60 second</a> clip became last year&#8217;s <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2025/12/24/anticipated-sequels-and-remakes-dominated-the-years-most-watched-movie-trailers/">most viewed trailer</a>, more than sneak peeks at “Sinners,” “Superman” or “A Minecraft Movie.”
That’s despite the original film’s solid but hardly massive $124 million at the U.S. box office (globally, it brought in a hefty $323 million). Yet we had to wait 20 years for a sequel, despite the rising star status of featured players Anne Hathaway (as put-upon assistant Andy) and Emily Blunt as the exasperated Emily.
A new Fandango poll shows “Prada 2” as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DW4NzTbCZfA/">the third most anticipated film of the summer</a>, behind “Toy Story 5” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
The sequel reunites them with Oscar-winner Meryl Streep as the venomous Miranda Priestly and Stanley Tucci. The May 1 release finds Miranda struggling to keep up with the digital age, something that wasn’t a major issue in the original yarn inspired by Lauren Weisberger’s bestselling novel.
<div id="attachment_1076173" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1076173" class="size-large wp-image-1076173" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2-1-864x576.jpg" alt="Photo by 20th Century Studios/20TH CENTURY STUDIOS - copyright: 2026 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved. IMDB." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2-1-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2-1-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2-1-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2-1.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Photo by 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved. IMDB.</div>
The marketing team behind the sequel is keeping most of the details under wraps, a wise move.
The sequel does expand the original cast, adding Kenneth Branagh, “Bridgerton’s” Simone Ashley, Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux, B.J. Novak and Pauline Chalamet.
So why is “The Devil Wears Prada 2” not a sign of Hollywood desperation but a sly acknowledgement of what audiences crave?
Some movies simply grow over the years, boosted by streaming access and stories that speak to something profound within us.
The technology in the original “Prada” may be dated — remember that screeching pager tune whenever Miranda needed Andy’s help? The themes, by contrast, are timeless.
“The Devil Wears Prada” nailed the hopes and dreams of young women who flirt with a brand of fame that can be intoxicating. Andy didn’t care about fashion until she worked within the industry 24/7. And, when she got her hands on some of the clothes collecting in her company’s closet, she was hooked.
And she looked fabulous.
Audiences got lost in Andy’s “Pygmalion”-like makeover. We’ll look past the running gag that Andy was both frumpy and overweight at the film’s start. Hathaway has always been lithe and lovely.
<div id="attachment_1076201" style="width: 879px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1076201" class="size-large wp-image-1076201" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2006-869x576.jpg" alt="Copyright: TM and2006 Twentieth Century Fox. All rights reserved." width="869" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2006-869x576.jpg 869w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2006-300x199.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2006-768x509.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2006-1536x1019.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Prada-2006.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 869px) 100vw, 869px" />Copyright: TM and2006 Twentieth Century Fox. All rights reserved.</div>
And as much as the Left wants to deny biology, women by and large want to look beautiful in the best fashions possible. It’s why those “Sex and the City” films featured Carrie Bradshaw luxuriating in that monstrous, overstuffed closet.
It’s pure escapism.
Plus, we’ve all had bosses as demanding as Streep’s Miranda Priestly, even if they couldn’t chill us with one withering look. Yes, she was a monster, but who couldn’t admire her drive, talent and ruthless efficiently? It helped that Streep’s performance epitomized the power of the softly spoken villain.
She could destroy someone with a lifted eyebrow or well-manicured insult. The fact that Andy survived her chronic attacks, growing stronger by the day, proved intoxicating.
And then there’s poor Adrien Grenier. He played Hathaway’s frustrated beau in the original film, but he won’t be back for an encore. Could the <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/morganmurrell/anne-hathaway-responded-devil-wears-prada-nate-theory">negative memes</a> around his character be to blame? Or the fact that Grenier opted out of Hollywood, Inc. in the intervening years following his “Entourage” closeup?
That’s showbiz. So is Hollywood’s occasional ability to give audiences what they want. Yes, the industry will crank out woke reboots and insult audiences when they’re summarily rejected.
See “Starfleet Academy” for Exhibit A.
Nostalgia still sells, and movie studios know it. The original “Prada” arrived at a time when culture war battles didn’t distract us from our daily lives. The film lacked the gerrymandered diversity casting we too often see today.
No lectures. No “you go, girl” feminist talking points to stop the movie cold. Andy struggled with being Miranda’s assistant, but her intelligence and wit eventually made her an invaluable part of the Runway magazine team.
But did she sell her soul in the process? Her beau thought so, but audiences had her back from start to finish.
And they’ll have it again soon enough.
<div id="attachment_1076185" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1076185" class="size-large wp-image-1076185" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270419682-864x576.jpg" alt="SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - APRIL 08: Meryl Streep attends &quot;The Devil Wears Prada 2&quot; Seoul Premiere at Times Square on April 08, 2026 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/WireImage)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270419682-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270419682-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270419682-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270419682.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Han Myung-Gu/WireImage</div>
The film is guaranteed a big opening weekend, but the only way to dampen the box office potential is to lean into Hollywood’s worst impulses. Identity Politics. Speeches. Political asides that erupt out of the blue.
Or, the film’s stars will use “Prada’s” publicity tour to politicize the film. Streep is already attempting just that by <a href="https://radaronline.com/p/meryl-streep-slams-melania-trump-controversial-jacket/">insulting fashion icon turned First Lady Melania Trump</a>.
Some movies are critic-proof. “The Devil Wears Prada 2” is both critic and culture war proof, assuming Hollywood can get out of its own way.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.

“The Devil Wears Prada 2” Press Conference & Seoul Premiere

Why ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Could Succeed Where Woke Hollywood Keeps Failing

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Meryl Streep

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