Kristen Stewart is preparing to take her place on the throne. A first look photo of the actress as Princess Diana in the upcoming biopic Spencer is here and the resemblance is striking. The sneak peek arrives as filming on the movie, directed by Pablo Larraín (2016’s Jackie), begins in Germany and the U.K. Spencer is scheduled for a fall 2021 release date according to a press release. That places it only a year before the 25th anniversary of Diana’s tragic death.
Spencer depicts a particularly turbulent weekend in Lady Di’s life. Set in December 1991, the princess must decide whether she’ll leave royal life after her marriage to Prince Charles has deteriorated. “Though rumours of affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at Sandringham Estate (where the royal family spends the holidays). There’s eating and drinking, shooting and hunting. Diana knows the game. This year, things will be a whole lot different,” the synopsis reads.
Stewart will be joined by several high-profile actors in the project, including Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), and Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible—Fallout) in unspecified roles. “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, adding, “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.”
Princess Diana was most recently played by Emma Corrin in season 4 of The Crown, and the character will be portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki in upcoming installments. Naomi Watts also stepped into the royal’s shoes for 2013’s Diana.
This iteration of the People’s Princess is written by Steven Knight (The Girl in the Spider’s Web, Peaky Blinders) and produced by Larraín alongside Juan de Dios, Jonas Dornbach, Janine Jackowski, and Paul Webster. An original score comes courtesy of Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood (Phantom Thread). Costumes will be designed by Jacqueline Durran, the Oscar-winning mind behind Little Women‘s clothing. And cinematography duties fall to Claire Mathon (Portrait of a Lady on Fire).
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Larraín previously described Spencer as “a fairy tale upside down” and revealed why he cast Stewart as Diana in an interview with Deadline:
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. 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.
In a recent conversation with Happiest Season director Clea DuVall for InStyle, Stewart offered insight into her approach to Diana. “The accent is intimidating as all hell because people know that voice, and it’s so, so distinct and particular,” she explained. “I’m working on it now and already have my dialect coach.” Stewart later added, “It’s one of the saddest stories to exist ever, and I don’t want to just play Diana—I want to know her implicitly. I haven’t been this excited about playing a part, by the way, in so long.”
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