Kristen Stewart to Play Princess Diana in ‘Spencer’ Movie 2021: Details

The matchup we never knew we needed. Kristen Stewart will play Princess Diana in Spencer, an upcoming movie about the late royal’s divorce from Prince Charles, according to Deadline. The film, which will be directed by Oscar nominee Pablo Larraín, is set to begin filming in early 2021.

Stewart will star as Princess Diana at a critical weekend in the ’90s, when the royal—whose full name is Diana Frances Spencer (hence the title of the film—realizes that her marriage with Prince Charles isn’t working and that she needs to veer away from the path that she thought would one day make her the Queen of the United Kingdom. The drama will take place over the course of three days, which occur during one of Princess Diana’s final Christmas holidays in the House of Windsor at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England that she and Charles would stay at.

In an interview with Deadline, Larraín explained why he chose Princess Diana’s story for his next film and how it differs from the usual princess stories the public is familiar with. “We all grew up, at least I did in my generation, reading and understanding what a fairy tale is,” he said. “Usually, the prince comes and finds the princess, invites her to become his wife and eventually she becomes queen. That is the fairy tale. 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. I’ve always been very surprised by that and thought it must have been very hard to do. That is the heart of the movie.

Times Newspapers/Shutterstock.

He continued, “How and why do you decide to do that? It’s a great universal story that can reach millions and millions of people, and that’s what we want to do. We want to make a movie that goes wide, connects with a worldwide audience that is interested in such a fascinating life.”

As for why he chose Stewart, the director explained that it’s the Twilight actress’ versatility that made her the best Princess Diana. “I’ve seen movies from Kristen that are so diverse it’s incredible, showing different layers and her diversity and strength as an actress,” he said. “We’re very happy to have her, she’s very committed. As a filmmaker, when you have someone who can hold such a weight, dramatic and narrative weight just with her eyes, then you have the strong lead who can deliver what we are looking for.”

Princess Diana—who shared sons Prince Harry and Prince William with her ex-husband—divorced Prince Charles in 1996 after 15 years of marriage. She died in a car crash in Paris, France, on August 31, 1997. While the film won’t include Princess Diana’s death, the director did note that Spencer will document the royal’s relationship with her then-husband and sons.

“I’ve always been intrigued and fascinated by the Royal Family and how things are in that culture, which we don’t have where I come from,” he said. “Diana is such a powerful icon, where millions and millions of people, not just women, but many people around the world felt empathy toward her in her life. We decided to get into a story about identity, and around how a woman decides somehow, not to be the queen. She’s a woman who, in the journey of the movie, decides and realizes that she wants to be the woman she was before she met Charles.”

StyleCaster Entertainment News Letter

Source link