Watch: First Look at Kristen Stewart in Pablo Larraín's 'Spencer'
The film finds Diana at a turning point in her marriage during a difficult Christmas in the early 90s.
We are edging ever and ever closer to the release of Pablo Larráin’s Lady Diana biopic ‘Spencer’ starring Kristen Stewart, with the first official trailer dropping this week. The promo gives us just a glimpse of what viewers are in for, but the results seem intriguing.
In the director’s chair is Jackie director Pablo Larráin, writing is Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight while Claire Mathon is behind the decadent cinematography, best-known for the acclaimed Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Most notable in the mix is Kristen Stewart, known for portraying heroine Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga franchise, but has since branched out into more niche roles like the J.T. Leroy biopic and the horror-thriller Personal Shopper.
Dressed in pieces that could only be from Lady Di’s iconic wardrobe (and rocking the feathery mushroom bob she helped to popularize) Stewart is practically unrecognizable in the new footage. Set over a rocky Christmas in 1991, the film sees Diana contemplating her marriage and having to give up both the path to being Queen of England, as well as her family.
While the royal figure has remained an enduring pop cultural touchstone for her fashion, her humanitarian work, her advocacy for the LGBTQ community and HIV, there’s clearly been a revival in our fascination with her.
In 2013, actress Naomi Watts portrayed the late Princess in the movie ‘Diana’ a film which told a side of her story in the Royal Family that is seldom-seen on-screen; what happened after she left. The film delves into the activism Diana was passionate about and is more interested in understanding her as a person, separately from the Royal Family. The film was not a critical gem but an alternative take on the Princess is a refresher.
More recently, newcomer Emma Corrin took on the role in the Netflix Original Series The Crown, showing us Diana before her marriage and how she met Charles, and the emotional toll of her time in the limelight. Corrin won acclaim from both critics and audiences, for their likeness to Diana and honesty confronting the demons she battled with. Corrin took home a Golden Globe for their portrayal as well as SAG and Emmy nominations.
However, Corrin is not set to play Princess Diana in the next series of The Crown, which is currently in production, but by Vita and Virginia and Tenet star Elizabeth Debicki. The show’s format involves aging up the characters as it moves through successive time periods, so this is no surprise. The fifth season is set during the early 1990s and is set to feature a more world-weary iteration of the character and explore the explosive interview she gave on Prince Charles and the Royal Family and until her tragic death. Joining Debicki in the cast is Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret and Dominic West as Prince Charles.
Spencer is set to be released to undoubtable hype, before a culture that loves Lady Di as much as they first did when she stepped onto screens on her Wedding Day in 1981. The film is set to grace theatres on the 5th of November. The film will star Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana as well as Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall and Sean Harris in undisclosed roles.
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