Keira Knightley to play Princess Diana?

May 29, 2007, 12:00 GMT

Keira Knightley - Hollywood, CA © Glenn Harris / Photorazzi

Keira Knightley is being tipped to play Britain's Princess Diana in a new Hollywood biopic about the late royal.

The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actress is hot favourite to play the 'People's Princess' in the unnamed project based on the controversial book 'Diana And The Paparazzi' - detailing the fatal Paris car crash that claimed the princess' life in 1997.

Film producer Quentin Reynolds, who hopes to secure film rights for the book, told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "Already the word in Hollywood is 'get Keira!' It's a story that has everything; pathos, tragedy, comedy, adventure and Princess Diana."

Reynolds believes the film will be even more successful than Stephen Frears' hit movie 'The Queen', which starred Helen Mirren as Britain's Queen Elizabeth and focused on the royal family in the immediate aftermath of Diana's tragic death.

He added: "For every pound 'The Queen' makes, a film about Diana would make ten."

A multi-million pound bidding war was sparked when the book - written by photographs Glenn Harvey and Mark Saunders, who made their fortune selling pictures of Diana - was taken to last week's Cannes Film Festival.

An insider at Paramount Studios, which has entered the bidding war for the film rights, said: "It's an incredible story - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid meet Snow White!

"It was deemed inappropriate at the time of Diana's death but is proving irresistible following the massive success of 'The Queen'. Princess Diana still sells and the 10th anniversary of her death is a high-profile time."

(C) BANG Media International