Did Jeff Bezos’ rumoured bid for Vogue inspire The Devil Wears Prada 2’s billionaire acquisition plot? Writer reveals

The Devil Wears Prada 2 has been praised for its relevance in today’s time. The sequel, made 20 years after part 1, addresses issues such as layoffs, journalistic ethics, the death of print, and even billionaires buying and selling media groups. The last of these is said to have been inspired by Jeff Bezos’ rumoured plan to buy Conde Nast, the parent company of Vogue. However, the film’s screenwriter, Aline Brosh McKenna, calls it just a coincidence.

In the film, the fictional fashion magazine Runway faces a potential sale to a tech billionaire played by Justin Theroux, which, the writer says, represents a growing tension between creativity and profit. “There’s a certain nihilism that Justin’s character represents. He just sees this giant wave coming in AI and thinks that we should submit to it,” she told Variety.

Many viewers felt that Theroux’s Benji Barnes was similar to Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, with both billionaires – real and fictional – dating popular journalists and getting a makeover after a huge divorce. What added to the similarity was the rumours that Bezos was planning to buy Conde Nast and acquire Vogue.

Brosh McKenna, however, dismissed any direct inspiration. “We already had a script…when the rumours started happening,” she said, adding, “It wasn’t inspired by anything. But, we did say, ‘Whoa,’ when it happened.”

Interestingly, in the film, Benji sponsors a big annual bash for Runway. This year, Bezos and wife Lauren Sanchez are sponsoring the Met Gala, Vogue’s biggest night of the year.