Meryl Streep pushed for a "Devil Wears Prada" sequel, not Disney. That detail matters because it explains why this follow-up exists at all, and it centers the project around the actress who made the original sing rather than studio demands.
Screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna has been defending her work on both films. She's standing firm on Adrian Grenier's role in the 2006 original, positioning his character as more than a romantic subplot. He functions as a moral anchor, she argues. The whole story operates as a Faust narrative. Nate exists to remind Andy that ambition extracts a cost, that climbing the fashion ladder requires sacrifice. He's not just the nice guy she left behind. He's the conscience.
This framing rejects a certain reading of the movie, one where fashion and career are punished and domesticity is the reward. McKenna's interpretation is darker, smarter. It suggests the original film understood something harder about ambition and identity. Whether the sequel leans into that or softens it remains the question. A "Prada 2" with Streep commanding the screen and this thematic clarity could work. It could also collapse under fan service and nostalgia. McKenna's comments suggest she understands the stakes either way.