Kristen Stewart is going to star as Diana, Princess of Wales, in a new drama from Pablo Larrain.
Princess Diana won’t just be returning via The Crown. The drama is about the late Princess’s break up with Prince Charles.
Stewart will star in Spencer, set in the early 1990’s. It’s scripted by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.
Director Pablo Larrain said Stewart was “one of the great actors around today”.
The film, set at Sandringham, will show Diana realising her marriage isn’t working.
Larrain told Deadline that they decided to dive into a story about identity. And around how a woman decides somehow, not to be the queen.
He continues saying that in the journey of the movie, she decides and realises that she wants to be someone she was before she met Charles. Based on the timeframe, Prince William and Prince Harry would still be young boys in the pic.
Spencer will be available to buyers at this year’s virtual Cannes market with production set to begin in early 2021.
‘That is the fairy tale’
Larrain explains that he grew up, in a generation, reading and understanding what a fairy tale is. He continued saying that usually the prince comes and finds the princess, invites her to become his wife and eventually she becomes queen.
“That is the fairy tale,” Larrain said. He went on to explain when someone decides not to be the queen, and says, I’d rather go and be myself, it’s a big big decision, a fairy tale upside down. Larrain says that is the heart of this movie.
Larraín, whose films also include Neruda and The Club, says that Stewart is a perfect choice because of her mixture of mystery and fragility.
“I think she’s going to do something stunning and intriguing at the same time,” he added. “She is this force of nature.”
Spencer was Princess Diana’s maiden name. Princess Diana married Prince Charles in 1981. They separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. She died in a car crash in Paris the following year.
The story of Diana was previously brought to the screen by the Downfall director Oliver Hirschbiegel in 2013 with Naomi Watts in the lead role.
The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw called it “car crash cinema”. While the Mirror’s David Edwards wrote that “Wesley Snipes in a blonde wig would be more convincing”.
And the princess is due to appear in the fourth season of Netflix’s royal drama The Crown, portrayed by newcomer Emma Corrin.
Stewart, best known for playing Bella Swan in the hit Twilight franchise from 2008-12. She also appeared in last year’s Charlie’s Angels remake and 2014’s Snow White and the Huntsman.
Since graduating from the Twilight franchise, Stewart garnered acclaim for smaller films such as Personal Shopper and Clouds of Sils Maria. While experiencing box office disappointments with bigger projects such as Charlie’s Angels and Underwater. She will be a part of the next queer Christmas comedy Happiest Season.
Jackie, Larraín’s unconventional biopic of Jackie Onassis, met with positive reviews in 2016. And an Oscar nomination for its star, Natalie Portman.
