Are we so back? That’s what I see many saying online as images and videos of The Devil Wears Prada 2 filming around New York City began proliferating around the Internet with the speed not previously seen, since, well… once week earlier after the infamous Coldplay kisscam debacle.
And they’re not just relegated to stan Twitter. Everyone from Vogue’s Instagram to GQ’s to headlines like “Every Single Leaked Look from the Set of Devil Wears Prada 2” are making it clear that this film is going to have the kind of outsized attention that studios dream of. I’ll admit, it’s thrilling to see Meryl back in the J. Roy Helland-designed wig.
But I’m also weary, even if most of the band is back together, and I think for good reason.
On the one hand: The very notion of a sequel implies it's never too late for a second act. That’s reassuring. But on the other: You’ll always be chasing the glory days — and seldom will they be what they once were. That’s what tends to give me pause about seeing so many formative loves of mine returning in new incarnations, particularly over the last few years. Many of these return under the guise of fan service, but what’s more often cooked up is a blatant money grab. In many instances, my appetite can stomach the reheating of soggy french fries, but increasingly I begin to wonder: If everything is new again, what will be left to be old? And specifically in the case of DWP2, can this much press ultimately be exhaustive to the point of a deterrent? Let’s discuss.