Naomi Watts stars as the British princess whose death in a Paris car crash made headlines around the world in 1997. (THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

LONDON -- The buzz biopic of British icon Princess Diana, starring Naomi Watts as the lady in question, has a new name.


Oliver Hirschbiegel's big-screen portrait, originally touted to buyers during Berlin and then Cannes this year as Caught in Flight, has been retitled as simply Diana.

Shooting on the film produced by U.K. production company Ecosse Films is under way, with Watts starring alongside Naveen Andrews, Douglas Hodge and Juliet Stevenson.



http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/princess-diana-biopic-caught-flight-345555

Naomi Watts will play Princess Diana in "Caught in Flight (contact music)

Naomi Watts - Naomi Watts Playing Princess Diana In Biopic About Her Last Days

10 February 2012 12:29

Actress Naomi Watts is set to play Princess Diana in the upcoming biopic Caught In Flight. The Mullholland Dr. star is said to have taken over the role of the princess from The Tree of Life actress Jessica Chastain, who pulled out for unknown reasons.

Caught In Flight will be directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, who directed the Oscar nominated 2004 film Downfall, about Hitler's last days. Caught In Flight will also follow a similar theme to Downfall; it is said to be about the last two years of Princess Diana's life, from her failed marriage to Prince Charles to her work as a humanitarian. According to Reuters, the initial plot is much different to the original idea, which was to focus on a secret affair between 'the people's princess' and heart surgeon Dr. Hasnat Kahn.

Read further:  http://www.contactmusic.com/news/naomi-watts-playing-princess-diana-in-biopic-about-her-last-days_1293530

Movie News Wrap Up: November 13th, 2011

Here’s our wrap up of various movie news tidbits we may have missed this week including details on the Clive Owen action film ‘Recall’ as well the news that Bradley Cooper has passed on the lead role in ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’

This week:
Jessica Chastain is Caught in Flight; Bradley Cooper won’t be going Solo in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.; Mike Binder sends someone on a Familymoon; Steve Carell is a Lunatic and Clive Owen has total Recall.

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1. It appears that Tree of Life actress Jessica Chastain will play Diana, Princess of Wales in Caught in Flight, for German director Oliver Hirschbiege.

“The film revolves around a secret affair between the late princess and a heart surgeon, Dr. Hasnat Kahn, who was said to be the love of her life. Described as a ‘love story between a princess locked in a tower and an ordinary man’.”

The $15 million budgeted film, written by Steven Jeffreys is set to go into pre-production in March 2012.
Hirschbiege directed the well received Downfall before being tempted by Hollywood to direct the ill-judged The Invasion with Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman.
Chastain is having a bumper year having starred in the aforementioned Tree of Life, as well as Take Shelter, The Help and The Debt.
Source: Thompson on Hollywood-

2. Bradley Cooper’s mild flirtation with The Man From U.N.C.L.E. has come to an end. The Wrap is reporting that The Hangover star has declined a Warner Bros. offer to headline the big screen adaptation of the 1960s television series.



The Steven Soderbergh directed film is currently without a cast, with the likes of George Clooney, Matt Damon and Johnny Depp turning down the lead role of Napoleon Solo.
Anybody else get the feeling that this may just fall apart?
Source: The Wrap

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3. Mike Binder is set to direct Walden Media’s latest family comedy Familymoon.

According to Variety:

“[Familymoon]tells the story of a perpetual bachelor who marries a single mother of two. In lieu of a typical honeymoon, the newlyweds take her kids with them on a “familymoon”, where they discover that blending a family in paradise is no vacation.”

The film penned by Family Guy writer Dave Collard should start shooting in early 2012, and casting will get underway soon.
While Binder isn’t a household name, he does know how to put together some great “little films”, having directed Indian Summer and The Upside of Anger.
Source: Variety

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4. Universal Pictures has picked up the screen rights to Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel’s novel Lunatics. The studio hopes that the increasingly busy Steve Carell will star in the film which will be produced by Stuber Pictures and Carell’s Carousel production company.


The film follows “two New Jersey soccer dads whose minor feud escalates to create worldwide consequences, and leave them running for their lives.”
Source: Deadline

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5. Clive Owen is attached to star in Recall, a new action film written by Taxi Driver scribe Paul Schrader and set to be directed by Harold Becker (Mercury Rising).



Variety reports that the film sees an “NSA agent trying to piece together the events of a botched hostage rescue operation. As the agent begins to recall events and unearth the truth, he finds he can trust neither his fellow soldiers nor his own mind.”
Recall is set to star shooting in March with locations set Bulgaria and Washington D.C.
Source: Variety

Screen Rant

Jessica Chastain To Play Princess Diana In Biopic From ‘Downfall’ Director Oliver Hirschbiegel

IndieWire

It was just over a year ago that it was revealed that two rival Princess Diana biopics were in the works. One, from producer Stephen Evans, was going to be based on the book “Diana: Closely Guarded Secret” by Diana’s lifelong bodyguard, Ken Wharfe. The film was budgeted at $30 million, with boasts of Charlize Theron and Ewan McGregor circling roles. Meanwhile, Pathé films was also developing a biopic with names like Keira Knightley and Dame Helen Mirren (as the Queen Mother) being tossed around. But it seems, a third project has now leapt into the pole position and it’s bringing along some surprising talent.

2011’s omnipresent Jessica Chastain will dye her hair and cut it short, taking the lead as Princess Diana in “Caught In Flight,” which is sure to be a highly controversial take on her life. Written by Steven Jeffreys (”The Libertine”), the film will focus on Diana’s affair with Dr. Hasnat Kahn that lasted from 1995 until a few months before her death in 1997. He was regarded by many to be the love of her life, and she was said to be devastated when the relationship was over, with some speculating that she dated Dodi Fayed in order to make him jealous. And indeed, the script “Caught In Flight” will apparently portray the Princess “as a damaged person who stalks the doctor after he ends the affair.”

No stranger to tough material, “Downfall” and “Das Experiment” director Oliver Hirschbiegel will direct the film which is already in pre-production. Lensing is gearing up to start in March, with shooting planned for Pakistan, Angola, the South of France and Paris for the film budgeted around $15 million.

It’s certainly a big gear change for Chastain, who will have to wear a British accent for the first time onscreen, in addition to undergoing a complete transformation into a public figure known and beloved by millions. With this picture, the sci-fi spectacle “Horizons” and the Guillermo Del Toro produced horror “Mama” on the way, Chastain refuses to be pigeonholed, with her upcoming roles among her most interesting yet. [Thompson On Hollywood]

Kevin Jagernauth posted to Actresses, Jessica Chastain, Directors, Foreign Directors, Oliver Hirschbiegel at 11:38 pm on November 6, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (2