There’s a new Princess Diana on the scene. Last year was all about Emma Corrin’s royal performance in Netflix’s The Crown. This year, it’s about Kristen Stewart, who debuts as the Princess of Wales in a first-look photo from Spencer, the film directed by Jackie filmmaker Pablo Larraín.
The film, written by “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight, revolves around a weekend in the life of Princess Diana in which she spends a holiday with the British Royal Family and decides to end her tumultuous marriage to Prince Charles.
The “Happiest Season” star has transformed into the former Lady Diana Spencer and judging from the first look, the actress is again proving her chameleonic abilities and clapping back at naysayers who were not amused by her casting over the summer.
It’s a testament to the film’s creative team, namely its costume and makeup departments, headed by Jacqueline Durran (2019’s “Little Women”) and Wakana Yoshihara (“Murder on the Orient Express”).
‘Spencer’ is a dive inside an emotional imagining of who Diana was at a pivotal turning point in her life,” Stewart said in a statement. “It is a physical assertion of the sum of her parts, which starts with her given name; Spencer. It is a harrowing effort for her to return to herself, as Diana strives to hold onto what the name Spencer means to her.”
The cast also includes BAFTA nominee Timothy Spall (“Mr. Turner”), Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins (“The Shape of Water”) and Sean Harris (“Mission: Impossible”).
Principal photography has begun on the independently produced film, which is set in December 1991 and focuses on a Christmas weekend at the royals’ Sandringham estate in Norfolk after Diana and Princess Charles’ marriage has grown cold and rumors of affairs and divorce abound.
Neonrated and topic studios jointly acquired the U.S. rights to ‘Spencer’. CAA Media Finance and Endevaour Content negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers. FilmNation Entertainment are handling the international rights.
Neonrated Releases Tweet About The First Look
Currently the filming is in Germany before moving production to the U.K. “Spencer” is expected to debut in the fall, ahead of 2022’s 25th anniversary of Diana’s tragic death.
The film has already hit a few PR snags, causing a dust-up with Stewart’s initial casting announcement in June. Then in November, it put out a casting call for actors to play Diana’s eldest son, Prince William, which said British actors need not apply for the role “due to new Brexit rules from January 1st 2021.”
Filming will take place in Germany and the U.K. and a fall 2021 launch is anticipated. 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of Diana’s death.