‘Richard Jewell’ Star Paul Walter Hauser In Talks To Join Disney’s ‘Cruella’

Richard Jewell and BlackKkKlansman star Paul Walter Hauser is in talks to join Disney’s live-action Cruella starring Emma Stone according to The Wrap.

Unlike other Disney frame per frame remakes, Cruella will reportedly be a prequel to 101 Dalmatians, the film that boosted the villain to fame. Here, Stone will take on the role of a younger Cruella before she turned to a life-long obsession of skinning puppies and turning them into coats. She will be taking on the helm from Glenn Close who starred in the role in the 1996 live-action adaptation. Close also reprised the role in the 2000 sequel. However, no statement has been made as of where the timeline will start. According to TheWrap’s report, Hauser will take on the role of the music-loving Roger.

Hauser’s breakout film was on the MMA series Kingdom. Then, he next appeared as Tonya Harding’s bumbling and overly confident bodyguard in I, Tonya. His next projects consist of a part in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, Mindy Kaling’s Late Night, and Youtube’s streaming hit Cobra Kai. Most recently, Hauser landed the title role in Clint Eastwood’s upcoming film Richard Jewell. It features the story of Jewell, a security guard who was considered a suspect in the bombing at the Atlanta Centennial Park in the midst of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Hauser can also be seen in Netflix’ Da 5 Bloods as well as Chris Robinson’s hip-hop drama Beats.

Cruella is slated for release on December 23, 2020, and Disney is reportedly going to start production for it sometime in September. I, Tonya helmer Craig Gillespie has been tapped to direct. Notably, this is not his first time working with Disney. He has also worked with Disney in the past on the films The Finest Hours and Million Dollar Arm. Working with him is Tony McNamara who wrote the first draft for the script. Producing the film are Marc Platt and Andrew Gunn.