A new image of Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana has been released, as shooting on forthcoming biopic Spencer moves to the UK.
Stewart, 30, will play the late princess in the film, directed by Chilean film-maker Pablo Larraín, whose biopic of Jackie Kennedy starring Natalie Portman won multiple Oscar nominations in 2017.
In the photograph, Stewart smiles directly at the camera, wearing a layered blond bob as well as tartan blazer and diamond engagement ring that appear to be copies of those sported by the real woman.
The film’s autumn release follows rave reviews for the most recent season of Netflix’s The Crown, in which Emma Corrin played the princess, winning a Golden Globe for her performance, as did Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles.
The actor playing Prince Charles in the new film will be Jack Farthing, best known as baddie George Warleggan in BBC’s Poldark. Farthing, 35, also played John Lennon in ITV’s Cilla Black series and featured in The Riot Club, the big-screen version of the play Posh.
The film is scripted by Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight, and scored by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood.
Supporting cast include Timothy Spall, Sally Hawkins and Sean Harris. The actors playing the young princes William and Harry have not been announced; last year, British passport holders were ruled out of contention for the roles over post-Brexit visa concerns.
Spencer is set over the course of a decisive weekend in December 1991, during which Princess Diana spends the Christmas holidays with the royal family at Sandringham, and decides to leave her marriage to Prince Charles.
“The Prince and Princess of Wales’ marriage has long since grown cold,” reads a press release. “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.”
It’s the first big feature film to be made about the princess since 2013’s much-ridiculed Diana, which starred Naomi Watts and was labelled “car crash cinema” by the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw.
Stewart described Spencer in a statement as “a dive inside an emotional imagining of who Diana was at a pivotal turning point in her life”.
Filming was taking place in Germany, but has moved to the UK. The film is scheduled for release this autumn.
