After a bit of time dabbling in blockbusters and potential franchise films, it appears that Kristen Stewart is going back to her bread and butter—heavy dramas from auteur filmmakers. And with “Spencer,” the actress has picked one hell of a filmmaker to collaborate with.
According to Deadline, Stewart is set to star in a new feature, titled “Spencer,” from filmmaker Pablo Larraín, based on a script from Steven Knight. The film will follow a three-day period in the life of Princess Diana, aka Lady Di, the iconic member of British Royalty, as she decides the future of her marriage with Prince Charles.
“We all grew up, at least I did in my generation, reading and understanding what a fairy tale is,” Larraín 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.”
He continued, “How and why do you decide to do that? It’s a great universal story that can reach millions and millions of people, and that’s what we want to do. We want to make a movie that goes wide, connects with a worldwide audience that is interested in such a fascinating life.”
Larraín is probably best known for his work on the 2016 film, “Jackie,” which starred Natalie Portman. When “Spencer” is released, it could make for an interesting double-feature with “Jackie,” as both deal with female political figures at a crossroads in their lives, carried by lead performances from very talented young actresses.
In addition to “Jackie,” the filmmaker also recently released “Ema,” an incredibly underrated and underseen film from last year’s festival circuit that was finally released earlier this year.
Stewart is coming off a disappointing stretch that included the films “Charlie’s Angels” and “Underwater,” both features that were expected to do much better than they did in the box office but were hampered by mixed reactions from critics.
No release date is set for “Spencer,” but filming is expected to begin in early 2021.