'Cruella': 'I, Tonya' Actor Paul Walter Hauser In Talks To Join Emma Stone In Disney's Live-Action '101 Dalmatians' Prequel

We’re going to go out on a limb and say that the last couple of months have been pretty damn exciting for actor Paul Walter Hauser. After stealing scenes in 2017’s “I, Tonya” and last year’s “BlacKkKlansman,” the young actor has had two major starring roles announced in less than 60 days. The first being the title role in Clint Eastwood’s upcoming “The Ballad of Richard Jewell,” starring alongside Sam Rockwell and Olivia Wilde. Then, today, it’s being reported that he’s the latest actor to join the Disney live-action bandwagon.

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According to The Wrap, Hauser is in talks to join the upcoming Disney film “Cruella,” starring opposite Emma Stone, who plays the famous “101 Dalmatians” villain. Not strictly in the same vein as the live-action remakes of “Aladdin,” “Dumbo,” “The Jungle Book,” and most recently, “The Lion King,” “Cruella” is a prequel that follows the path paved by “Maleficent” by focusing on the villain of a classic animated film before she breaks bad.

“Cruella” is directed by Craig Gillespie, who actually was the man behind the camera for Hauser’s first breakout role in “I, Tonya.” Gillespie is also the director of the films “Million Dollar Arm,” “The Finest Hour,” and “Lars and the Real Girl.” The script for the upcoming Disney film is written by Tony McNamara.

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Hauser is currently in production on Eastwood’s ‘Richard Jewell’ in Georgia. However, the report says that Disney is looking to begin filming “Cruella” in September, which would allow the actor time to finish his current film and immediately jump into the new one.

In addition to the aforementioned films, Hauser has also recently been featured in the streaming series “Cobra Kai” and the comedy film “Late Night.” He’s also attached to the films “Silk Road” and the upcoming Spike Lee film “Da 5 Bloods.”