Cruella is the third live-action adaption in the 101 Dalmatians franchise and serves technically as a prequel – providing an origin story for the Cruella de Vil character. Directed by Craig Gillespie, Cruella is the crime comedy film based on the character Cruella de Vil from Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Set in 1970s London amidst the punk rock revolution, a young grifter named Estella (Emma Stone), catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson) - a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute. 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 de Vil.