Meryl Streep’s Brilliant Pitch That Got Lady Gaga on Board for The Devil Wears Prada 2

So, brace yourself: 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' is actually happening, and there are a few interesting wrinkles this time around. Yes, Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway are back, but the big headline for sequel-watchers is the cameo from Lady Gaga. Honestly, this all sounds like the sort of thing your group chat would joke about—except it's real.

How did Gaga end up in this fashion-verse? It turns out, it wasn't some elaborate Hollywood deal. Instead, it was a good old-fashioned phone call from Meryl herself. In a recent interview, Streep and director David Frankel ran through how it all went down, and the story is somehow both casual and peak Hollywood at the same time.

Meryl Streep Cold-Calls Gaga from a Dinner in Islington

Here’s how it went down, according to Streep: she was out having dinner in Islington with a friend named Tracy when she decided, why not just straight-up call Gaga? For the record, even Emily Blunt (who's also returning for the sequel) was surprised to learn this in the interview—apparently, Meryl doesn’t send out group texts when she’s about to rope in a global pop icon.

Gaga apparently said yes right on the spot. There was no drawn-out negotiation, no cryptic Instagram posts to decode. Just Meryl Streep casually picking up the phone and making things happen. Sometimes it really is that simple.

The Pop Star Cameo: Script or Afterthought?

Director David Frankel also laid out how Gaga's cameo came to be penned in. The script apparently had a sequence set in Milan where a pop star is supposed to perform—literally, the stage direction says 'A pop star does a performance.' The studio, as studios do, thought maybe this wasn’t necessary. Frankel disagreed, pushing for a real pop star moment.

Here's where the universe lined things up: Streep and Gaga had just met at the 'SNL 50' anniversary show and hit it off. They joked about working on something together. Frankel, clearly recognizing a gift horse when he sees one, got the green light from Disney and asked Meryl to reach out. Gaga, for her part, didn’t just agree to show up—she dove in, reportedly writing songs specifically for the movie. Which, if nothing else, means the film's fashion show is about to get an audio upgrade.

• Key returning cast: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt
• Surprise cameo: Lady Gaga, who didn’t just turn up but will actually feature new music for the film
• Release date: May 1, 2026, so mark your calendars (and maybe pre-order some popcorn)

For a movie sequel that could ’ve just coasted on nostalgia, this kind of casting story is actually better than most of what’s in the script. Can't say no to a Streep cold-call, apparently.