Disney has announced that Emma Stone will star as a young Cruella de Vil, confirming leaks first reported by The Hollywood Reporter in January.
In Cruella, Stone will recap the early years of the puppy-napper with two-tone hair, a sleek Bugatti and the longest cigarette holder in Mayfair.
The character debuted in the animated 101 Dalmatians (1961) and was revived in live-action by Glenn Close in 1996 (below).
Cruella de Vil has been cited by a handful of pro-tobacco bloggers in the UK who claim that adult-rating tobacco imagery would deprive future generations of children of the chance to see 101 Dalmatians. (Fact check: Only future productions with smoking would trigger an R rating.)
As of January 1, 2016, The Disney Company promised to keep all future films released under its Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm labels smokefree. A new 101 Dalmatians movie will test how seriously Disney takes its new policy.
Update: Disney's remake finally went into production in 2019 and is slated for release in May 2021.