British-born film star says she looks forward to her 'iconic role' in Caught in Flight, based on final years of Princess Diana
- Stephen Bates, guardian.co.uk, Thurs Feb 9, 2012
Oliver Hirschbiegel, the German director of the planned biopic of the final years of Princess Diana, spoke of the warmth, humanity and empathy that Naomi Watts will bring to the role.
The movie, Caught in Flight, with a screenplay by Stephen Jeffreys, will be filmed in Britain this year by Hirschbiegel who directed Downfall, a film about Adolf Hitler's last days.
Watts, who most recently starred in J. Edgar, said: "It is such an honour to be able to play this iconic role – Princess Diana was loved across the world and I look forward to rising to the challenge of playing her on screen."
Watts was born in England and moved to Australia aged of when she was 14. She has starred in films including The Ring, Mulholland Drive, King Kong and J.Edgar.
Conspiracy theories, many put forward by Mohamed Al Fayed, former Harrods owner and father of Dodi Fayed, Diana's companion at the time, who was also killed in the crash on 31 August 1997, were demolished in the course of the much-delayed inquest, held in the high court between October 2007 and April 2008.
The jury decided the two had been unlawfully killed by a combination of the driving of their chauffeur, Henri Paul, and the driving of following vehicles. The inquest heard from 278 witnesses and the inquest was estimated to have cost £6.5m.
Publicity for the film speaks of its creating a compelling portrait of the last two years of Diana's life, charting how finding true happiness for the first time allowed her to achieve her defining success as an international campaigner and humanitarian.
Martyn Gregory, the journalist and film maker, whose book Diana: The Last Days was substantially borne out by the inquest verdict, said: "Let us hope it steers well clear of the conspiracy theories. If it is talking of true hapiness, it will need to show her relationship with the surgeon Hasnat Khan to whom she was much closer than she ever was with Dodi."
At the inquest Al Fayed dismissed the princess's friendship with Khan, saying: "You cannot say marry someone like that, lives in a council flat and has no money."
Berlin 2012: Naomi Watts Cast to Play Princess Diana in Big Screen Biopic
Oliver Hirschbiegel's biopic is being touted to buyers as the EFM in Berlin gets into its stride.
Naomi Watts has signed to play British icon Princess Diana in Oliver Hirschbiegel's big screen portrait Caught In Flight.
The movie is being touted to buyers in Berlin by producers Ecosse Films, the U.K. production and finance banner behind a host of movies including Charlotte Gray, Becoming Jane and Brideshead Revisited.
Tim Haslam, the former Hanway Films chief executive, is handling worldwide sales under his upstart company Embankment Films.
Hirschbiegel directs Watts based on the screenplay by Stephen Jeffreys, with production set to begin in the U.K. later this year.
Billed as a compelling portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales during the last two years of her life, the script charts her search for personal happiness as she turned into a major international campaigner and humanitarian.
Watts, who will next be seen starring in The Impossible opposite Ewan McGregor, described her casting as "an honour to be able to play this iconic role - Princess Diana was loved across the world, and I look forward to rising to the challenge of playing her on screen."
Hirschbiegel said Watts has enough in her acting armoury to embody "the warmth, humanity and empathy of such a global icon as Princess Diana."
(Hollywood Reporter)
6 comments:
Great news indeed. She will definitely pull off this role. A perfect casting.
Good to hear this. Thanks.
Thank you for Naomi.
She is British, no accent problem therefore. This is a good casting.
The movie is about the last 2 years of Di, it's about her most troubling times, the right stuff for Naomi.
I am so excited about this one--it is a great role for her!
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