Kristen Stewart will play Princess Diana in the upcoming drama film Spencer.
Deadline reports that production on the film, written by Steven Knight with Pablo Larraín directing, will start in early 2021.
The film covers events that occurred over three days at Sandringham, Norfolk, England in the early ’90s during which Diana concluded that her fairy tale marriage to Prince Charles was not working.
It will not cover her tragic death in a car accident in 1997 or the circumstances surrounding it.
Diana married Prince Charles in 1981 when she was only 20 years old. Charles was 32 at the time.
They separated in 1992, following rumors of an increasingly strained relationship, and divorced in 1996.
The divorce came after Diana gave an interview on BBC in 1995, during which she opened up about her strained relationship with Charles and the rest of the royal family.
She also revealed she suffered from postpartum depression.
Diana ended saying she only wanted to be the queen in the hearts of the British people.
Fans question Kristen Stewart’s casting as Princess Diana
People have been reacting to the news that Kristen Stewart will play Princess Diana. While some fans think that Stewart playing Diana is a great casting choice, many voiced their reservations.
One of the issues that fans commenting on social media raised about the decision to cast Stewart as Diana is her ability to speak with a British accent.
Some even questioned her acting skills and wondered whether she could portray Princess Diana.
“Please don’t allow Kristen Stewart to not only butcher another movie but a British accent as well,” one Twitter user pleaded.
“Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana though [SIC]? Really?! What in the fresh hell is this nonsense? She is so wooden and her British accent is trash,” another tweeted.
Some fans cited Stewart’s past movie roles, including her role in Snow White and The Huntsman, and insisted that she cannot do a British accent.
Other fans insisted that a British actress — such as Emma Watson — is better suited to play the role.
“I’d love to see Emma Watson play #Diana, she’s got the same natural beauty and aura of class,” one Twitter user said. “I can’t imagine Kristen Stewart doing a convincing British accent, possible disaster #Spencer.”
“No shade to Kristen Stewart, it’s just that she isn’t even British… she doesn’t even look like Diana. Did Britain ran out of actresses when I wasn’t looking?” another fan tweeted.
Check out Stewart’s British accent in the video clip below. It shows a scene from the 2012 fantasy movie Snow White and The Huntsman in which she plays Snow White.
Stewart would have to perfect her British accent to play Diana
However, some fans were more willing to give Stewart a chance, but they said she would have to work on her British accent to fit the role.
Larraín praised Stewart for her versatility
Although fans have expressed their reservations about Stewart portraying Princess Diana, the actress has an impressive resume.
She enjoyed her breakout role in the blockbuster Twilight series where she played Bella Swan. Most recently, she appeared in the horror movie Underwater and action flick Charlie’s Angels.
Larraín told Deadline that Stewart was cast for the role because of her versatility as an actress.
“Kristen can be many things, and she can be very mysterious and very fragile an ultimately very strong as well, which is what we need.”
She went on to call Stewart an incredible actress with “different layers” in her “diversity and strength as an actress.”