Nearly two decades after its first premiere in 2006, The Devil Wears Prada returns to the spotlight, bringing back a world where ambition wore couture and every glance carried power. As The Devil Wears Prada 2 builds fresh buzz, the fandom finds itself caught between nostalgia and anticipation. However, amid the returning icons, the focus has quietly shifted to one missing name, Nate Cooper, the sous chef at a Manhattan restaurant, played by Adrian Grenier, turning his absence into a story of its own.

While Nate remains absent from the sequel, he is still back with a bang, just not in the movie. 

Stepping back into the world of The Devil Wears Prada, Adrian Grenier is finally seen reclaiming a quiet sense of closure for Nate Cooper in a 2026 Starbucks advertisement promoting its Energy Refreshers. Opening with a nod to the headlines around not being asked to return, he assures viewers that he is doing just fine, keeping the tone rooted in “good energy.” Standing at the counter, he raises a toast to Nate, the aspiring chef and Andy Sachs’ boyfriend, revisiting the character with a sense of distance, as if the story has already found where it belongs.

“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,” Grenier told the Starbucks barista.

Grenier, who once stood at the centre of Nate’s story, had earlier admitted feeling disappointed about not being called back to reprise his role, a sentiment he revealed in a March interview with Page Six. However, adding a different tone to the moment, he later described Nate as someone who loved Andy Sachs, played by Anne Hathaway, yet was far from perfect, choosing to leave the character in 2006 and move forward with good energy. Still, ending on a cheeky note, he made it clear that if the call ever comes, he is free.

“He made a mean sandwich, he loved his girlfriend, to a point,” he added. “He wasn’t perfect. So let’s leave Nate in 2006 and keep this good energy going,” Grenier added.

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As Nate fades from the runway, the original power circle, led by director David Frankel, rises once again for The Devil Wears Prada 2.

Directed by the original filmmaker David Frankel, who returns alongside writer Aline Brosh McKenna, The Devil Wears Prada 2 brings back several familiar faces, with Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci reprising their iconic roles. Expanding its world, the sequel also introduces new names like Kenneth Branagh, Lucy Liu, Simone Ashley, B. J. Novak, and Justin Theroux. Set nearly two decades later in a shifting fashion landscape where print media struggles to hold its ground, the film is scheduled for release on May 1, 2026, under 20th Century Studios.

At the centre of it all, Miranda Priestly, who was recently caught in a sweet gesture towards the crew, now finds herself fighting to keep Runway magazine alive in a changing industry. However, the challenge takes a sharper turn as she faces a powerful new rival, her former assistant Emily Charlton, who now controls the advertising world Miranda depends on. Meanwhile, Andy Sachs returns, stepping into the story as a more polished and confident Features Editor.

As drama steps into a changed world nearly two decades later, Nate’s absence quietly marks how much the story and its people have evolved.

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What are your thoughts on Nate not returning to The Devil Wears Prada 2? Let us know in the comments