Kristen Stewart Set To Play Princess Diana In Independent Film

Twilight saga star Kristen Stewart is set to play Princess Diana in a new film about the princess’s life. The movie is titled Spencer after Diana’s maiden name and will focus on the three days that Diana spent at the House of Windsor at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk over Christmas, her last holiday spent with the royal family in the 1990s. It will dive into Diana’s marriage to Prince Charles as well as her role as a mother to Prince William and Prince Harry, but will not cover the fatal car crash that killed Diana in Paris 1997.

The independent film will be both directed and produced by Pablo Larraín who is an Oscar–nominated filmmaker. 

Larraín spoke to Deadline about the new film and 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.”

Larrain explained why he chose Stewart to play such a prominent role. “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.” 

Spencer will be highlighted at the Cannes Film Festival during its virtual marketplace. The movie is set to start production next year.