Why Adrian Grenier Will Not Return for <i>The Devil Wears Prada</i> Sequel

THE RUNDOWN

• Adrian Grenier, who played Andy’s boyfriend Nate Cooper in The Devil Wears Prada, will not return for the upcoming sequel.
• Grenier previously spoke about his controversial character, calling him a “fragile, wounded boy.”
• The Devil Wears Prada sequel has begun production and will be released on May 1, 2026.

It looks like the real villain of The Devil Wears Prada won’t be returning for its sequel.

According to an Entertainment Weekly exclusive, Adrian Grenier, who played Andy’s tepid boyfriend Nate Cooper, will not be returning for the upcoming film.

In a previous EW interview, Grenier spoke about his controversial character. “When that whole thing [about Nate being the ‘real villain’ of the film] first came out, I couldn’t get my head around it,” he said. “I didn’t understand it. Perhaps it was because I wasn’t mature as a man, just as Nate probably could’ve used a little growing up. I was just as immature as him at the time, so I couldn’t see his shortcomings, but, after taking time to reflect and much deliberation online, I can realize the truth in that perspective.”

He then went on to say that Nate couldn’t fully support Andy and her budding fashion career because “he was a fragile, wounded boy…. on behalf of all the Nates out there: Come on! Step it up!”

Variety reported that the new film, which is set to release on May 1, 2026, will follow Meryl Streep’s character, editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly, as she “navigates her career amid the decline of traditional magazine publishing and faces off against [Emily] Blunt’s character, now a high-powered executive for a luxury group with advertising dollars that Priestly desperately needs.”

In addition to Streep, Hathaway, and Blunt, Stanley Tucci will also be in the sequel, along with new addition Kenneth Branagh. Production began on Monday.