Kristen Stewart to play Princess Diana in new movie "Spencer"
"Twilight" star Kristen Stewart is set to play Princess Diana in the upcoming film "Spencer." The movie will be directed by Pablo Larraín, who spoke with Deadline about the project.
Production on "Spencer" is set to begin in early 2021, Deadline reports. Larraín, who directed "Jackie" and "Neruda," said this story centers on "a fairy tale upside down."
"We all grew up, at least I did in my generation, reading and understanding what a fairy tale is," Larraín told Deadline. "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," he said, referring to Diana's decision to leave the prince.
"Spencer," which was written by Steven Knight, will focus on one weekend in the early 90s when Diana realized her marriage to Prince Charles wasn't working, according to Deadline.
Larraín also discussed the decision to cast Stewart, who first rose to fame playing Bella in the "Twilight" series and recently starred in "Charlie's Angels."
"Kristen is one of the great actors around today," Larraín told Deadline. "To do this well, you need something very important in film, which is mystery."
"Kristen can be many things, and she can be very mysterious and very fragile [and] ultimately very strong as well, which is what we need," he continued. "The combination of those elements made me think of her. The way she responded to the script and how she is approaching the character, it's very beautiful to see. I think she's going to do something stunning and intriguing at the same time. She is this force of nature."
Larraín called Stewart's past roles "so diverse it's incredible," saying the filmmakers are happy to have her and that 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," Larraín said.
