The long-awaited relaunch of Runway is finally upon us, but one familiar face is nowhere to be seen.
The Devil Wears Prada star Adrian Grenier has spoken out about his absence from the hugely anticipated sequel.
Two decades after the stylish modern classic first graced cinema screens, the eagerly awaited follow-up is set to arrive and looks destined to be one of the biggest films of the spring.
Anne Hathaway reprises her role as Andy Sachs, alongside Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt, and, naturally, Meryl Streep as the iconic and formidable Runway editor Miranda Priestley.
This time round, Andy takes on the role of the magazine’s new Features Editor, despite Miranda appearing to have no recollection of their previous working relationship all those years ago, reports the Mirror.
Many fans are equally keen to put another element of the original film behind them — namely Andy’s long-suffering boyfriend Nate (portrayed by Grenier), who pleaded with her to walk away from her position at Runway due to Miranda’s harsh treatment.
Nate has since become one of the most divisive characters in The Devil Wears Prada, with a sizeable portion of fans arguing that he selfishly derails Andy’s career. Although the pair do split in the first film, it ends with them reuniting and agreeing to keep in touch, prompting speculation that their romance might eventually be rekindled.
That prospect, however, appears unlikely in the much-anticipated sequel. Twenty years on, Andy has a new love interest in the shape of franchise newcomer Peter (Patrick Brammall). This means Nate was written out of the follow-up film to make way for a fresh romance for Andy, though the creators had originally planned to tackle their storyline directly.
Director David Frankel, who came back for the sequel after steering the beloved 2006 original, revealed he had in fact considered the possibility of Nate making a guest appearance.
“I had an idea about sneaking him into a cameo, and in the end, it was just too late in our production schedule to make it happen,” he told Entertainment Weekly.
He further noted that filming for the sequel wrapped up less than a month before its scheduled release date, meaning their hectic production timetable left no room for a last-minute walk-on role.
Grenier has admitted it was a “disappointment” when The Hollywood Reporter confirmed in July last year that he wouldn’t be reprising his role as Nate.
“We’re all fans of the movie, whether or not we were in it,” he told Page Six at the time. “Obviously, it was a disappointment that I didn’t get the call to be in the sequel. But I also understand there was some backlash with Nate, the character, so that might have something to do with it.”
He recently featured in a Starbucks advertisement, in which he playfully alludes to Nate being dropped from the sequel. “You might have seen the headlines – I wasn’t asked to be part of a certain sequel. But I’m good. Really. It’s all good energy,” he says.
“So a toast to Nate. He made a mean sandwich. He loved his girlfriend, to a point. He wasn’t perfect. So let’s leave Nate in 2006 and keep this good energy going.”
The Devil Wears Prada 2 is in UK cinemas now.
