The 'Spencer' Trailer Promises Another Look At Diana's Story

On Aug. 31, 1997, Princess Diana died in a Paris hospital after a tragic car crash. Next year, in 2022, it will be 25 years since her passing. Ironically, this is also the moment when her story is being told in multiple aspects of the media. The Crown kicked it off in 2020 with the introduction of Emma Corrin as Diana in Season 4, and next year will spend an entire season focusing on the first five years of the 1990s and the dissolution of her marriage. But Netflix isn't the only one recounting her life a quarter-century on. This year's crop of Oscar hopefuls includes a biopic, Spencer, telling the same story.

When Spencer was initially announced last year, it was sold as a package deal with actress Kristen Stewart (Twilight) as the titular late Princess and Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín at the helm. Larraín is already well known on the awards circuit for his last Oscar-nominated biopic, Jackie, detailing the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination from the point of view of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, played by Natalie Portman. This new film, which focuses on the famous Christmas as Sandringham where Diana and Charles decided to move forward with their divorce, is expected to garner the same attention, with the possibility of nominations for Stewart's leading role.

With such high expectations, fans have been eyeing this project nervously. The Crown has so far nailed Diana in both of its casting choices, launching Corrin's career after Season 4, and the first photos of Elizabeth Debicki in Season 5 look to hit the same highs. On the other hand, Stewart is known for a very different style, stemming from her worldwide fame due to the Twilight franchise, and some have wondered if she can pull off the look or the voice. The first photos have been promising.

Now, the trailer is here, and though the images are good, the accent...well, let's not judge yet.