Kristen Stewart has been cast as Princess Diana in the upcoming film, Spencer. 

Deadline made the announcement Wednesday (June 17). The film will be directed and produced by Pablo Larraín and written by Steven Knight.

Production is expected to begin in early 2021. The drama will debut at the virtual Cannes Market.

The movie will focus on a weekend in 1992 during which Diana realized that her marriage to Prince Charles was not working out. The film will only cover three days: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day in the House of Windsor at the family's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England. The film will not include Diana's tragic death.

While some people may be confused by Stewart's casting for the iconic role, it was a no-brainer for Larraín.

“Kristen is one of the great actors around today,” Larraín told the outlet. “To do this well, you need something very important in film, which is mystery. 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. The combination of those elements made me think of her. The way she responded to the script and how she is approaching the character, it’s very beautiful to see. I think she’s going to do something stunning and intriguing at the same time. She is this force of nature."

“I’ve seen movies from Kristen that are so diverse it’s incredible, showing different layers and her diversity and strength as an actress,” he continued. “We’re very happy to have her, she’s very committed. As a filmmaker, when you have someone who can hold such a weight, dramatic and narrative weight just with her eyes, then you have the strong lead who can deliver what we are looking for.”

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