'Devil Wears Prada' director admits sequel felt 'impossible' at first

David Frankel has admitted he “never imagined” returning to the world of The Devil Wears Prada and says making a sequel felt almost impossible at first.

The 67-year-old director is back in the hot seat for the long-awaited follow-up to the 2006 fashion-world comedy drama, with Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci all stepping back into their iconic roles.

But Frankel confessed the idea of reuniting the characters initially felt out of reach.

He told The Metro, “We love the characters, we love the actors, so of course there was talk after the first film. 

But we didn’t have the imagination to figure out how to bring them back in a way that didn’t just repeat itself.”

He added that simply having Miranda Priestly cross paths with Andy Sachs again wasn’t enough.

“We’d just be watching the same dynamic. What would she even learn this time?”

The filmmaker also revealed there were real fears the sequel might never live up to the original, which became a global hit and a pop-culture staple.

“So many things have to go right,” he said. 

“It’s like making a hole in one. You can’t just recreate that magic on demand.”

Frankel even admitted the original shoot wasn’t always glamorous behind the scenes, describing it as “very hard” with long hours and emotional strain among the cast.

But he says the sequel has been a completely different experience.

“This time it was joyful every minute,” he said. 

“These are four incredible movie stars, and the chemistry after 20 years has only deepened.”

Still, he confessed to “many sleepless nights” ahead of release, adding: “Nobody really knows anything in movies. You can do everything right and still hope the magic lands.”

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