The new film focussing on Princess Diana and her life in the Royal Family is coming this year – but this time with a difference. In the upcoming film, Spencer, 30-year-old Kristen Stewart is playing the iconic Royal in an epic drama which tells the story of one heated weekend at the Sandringham Estate, where the marriage between Lady Diana and Prince Charles allegedly fell apart. Previous iterations of Lady Diana’s story have focussed on her marriage or death, making Spencer as an outlier. Stewart has previously said how “excited” she is to be taking on the role – but added it is one of the “saddest stories to exist ever”.
SEE THE FIRST LOOK AT KRISTEN STEWART AS LADY DIANA BELOW
The film is set in December, 1991, and will show Stewart playing the demure yet powerful Princess in a string of tough scenes.
The first image of Stewart as Lady Diana shows her in the iconic outfit red and black outfit worn by the Princess in 1991.
Covering a red blouse with a red coat, Lady Diana can be seen wearing a black top hat with a black veil over her face.
It was also confirmed today that Stewart will be joined on-screen in Spencer by a collection of enormous stars, including Sally Hawkins, and Sean Harris.
The actor taking on the role of Prince Charles has not been announced just yet.
Spencer has also been confirmed to be filming now in Germany.
The movie is being directed by Pablo Lerrain, who previously directed such pictures as Locke, Jackie, and Neruda.
On casting Stewart as the Princess, Pablo recently said: “Kristen is one of the great actors around today. To do this well, you need something very important in film, which is mystery.”
Pablo continued: “She’s a woman who, in the journey of the movie, decides and realises that she wants to be the woman she was before she met Charles.”
Stewart herself revealed she was “intimidated” by the role when asked about it last year.
She said: “The accent is intimidating as all hell because people know that voice, and it’s so, so distinct and particular. I’m working on it now and already have my dialect coach.”
In an interview with InStyle, the 30-year-old actor also confessed: “I haven’t been this excited about playing a part, by the way, in so long.”
The former Twilight star 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.”
Stewart joins the likes of Naomi Watts and Emma Corrin who have also played the Princess in TV and movie adaptations over the years.
Spencer’s production company, Neon, is reportedly looking at an autumn 2021 release for the movie.
The film’s official synopsis reads: “December, 1991: The Prince and Princess of Wales’ marriage has long since grown cold. Though rumours of affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at Sandringham Estate. There’s eating and drinking, shooting and hunting. Diana knows the game. This year, things will be a whole lot different.”
Spencer does not yet have a release date.