A 'Cruella' sequel is already in early development at Disney

A company spokesperson says 'we are very pleased' with the film's box office success

A sequel to 'Cruella' is reportedly already in early development. Disney via AP

A sequel to Cruella is reportedly in the works.

As the film, starring Emma Stone, enters the second week of its release, it was revealed in The Hollywood Reporter that a follow-up to the origin story of the black-and-white-haired villainess from 101 Dalmatians is in early development at Disney.

"We are very pleased with Cruella's box office success," a Disney spokesperson told the publication. The film, which was released in cinemas and on the streaming service Disney+, has so far raked in more than $48 million globally.

“The film has been incredibly well received by audiences around the world, with a 97 per cent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes in addition to As in every demographic from CinemaScore on opening weekend, ranking it among the most popular of our live-action reimaginings.”

Cruella, directed by I, Tonya filmmaker Craig Gillespie, also features Emma Thompson and Mark Strong. It is the latest instalment of the Disney interpretations of the 1956 Dodie Smith novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, beginning with the beloved 1961 classic.

A live-action remake with Glenn Close was also released in 1996.

However, Cruella diverges from the story in the original novel, unravelling the origins of the vain, fur-obsessed aristocrat.

In this new interpretation, the character begins as a naughty schoolgirl named Estella. She eventually becomes the likeable-but-oppressed aspiring fashion designer in a 1970s London design house operated by Baroness Von Hellman (played by Thompson).

"I had such fun doing her, because I've been asking for quite a number of years if I could be a villain, a proper villain," Thompson told The National last month.

“I spent decades playing what my mother used to call 'good women in frocks’, and now I got to play a really evil woman in frocks.”