Cruella Star Emma Stone Addresses Comparisons to Joaquin Phoenix's Joker

Disney's live-action slate continues to grow and Cruella is the next movie on the company's line-up. The film is a prequel that's set to follow the villain made famous by 101 Dalmatians back in 1961. The role, which was also played by Glenn Close in the 1996 live-action remake of the animated movie, is now being portrayed by Oscar-winner Emma Stone. When the first trailer for the movie was released, many people took to social media to draw comparisons to Joaquin Phoenix's Joker. During a recent interview with Total Film magazine (via CBR), Stone shared that the Disney movie isn't like the DC film.

"[Cruella is] very different from Joker in many ways," Stone shared with a laugh. "I would never even remotely compare myself to Joaquin Phoenix," she added. "I wish I was more like him."

"There are some really deep, emotional things that Cruella's dealing with that send her to the villainous darker side. So in that sense, it is [similar to Joker]," director Craig Gillespie added. "But it's definitely its own thing. Just to sort of reframe Cruella, I thought it was important to show this darker side of her."

He also shared that Cruella will have much more humor than Joker, adding, "There's a lot of absolutely delightful banter and rhythm to the style of it, which is different from Joker."

You can check out the official synopsis for Cruella below:

"Cruella, which is set in 1970s London amidst the punk rock revolution, follows a young grifter named Estella, a clever and creative girl determined to make a name for herself with her designs. She befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they are able to build a life for themselves on the London streets. One day, Estella's flair for fashion catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman, a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute, played by two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson (Howards End, Sense & Sensibility). But their relationship sets in motion a course of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable and revenge-bent Cruella."

Cruella hits theatres and Disney+ Premier Access on May 28th. If you haven't signed up for Disney+ yet, you can try it out here.

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