A Documentary on Princess Diana Set for 2022 Release – Are They Going To Cover The Darkest Moments of Her Life?
Her name alone is enough to remind us of a time when great change was possible, led by what some will agree was the truest ‘influencer’ of her time. Princess Diana Spencer gave the world much to look forward to, except for a tragic ‘accident’ that saw an end to her capability to make a great difference on the world stage.
Recently, Lightbox (U.K. / U.S. production co-founded by praiseworthy award-winners Simon and Jonathan Chinn) and Altitude (distributor and sales agent who will be handling the movie’s release in Ireland and the U.K.) shared the welcome news about making the first-ever theatrical release documentary about the famous Princess. Called simply “Diana” the documentary has already encouraged tongues to wag.
Most of these tongues are asking serious questions. To sum up their demand: “Is this going to be just another feel-good portrayal of this beloved former member of the British Royal Family? Or is this documentary going to cover some of the darkest moments of Diana’s life, including and leading up to her ‘death’?”.
We’re placing words like ‘death’ and ‘accident’ within quotes purely because of the longstanding, often even accepted, theory that Diana was killed by a person or persons unknown. That she proved a threat to the tradition and power of the British monarchy saw to fingers being pointed at HRM Queen Elizabeth II and those in direct connection to the throne of England.
Drama Much?
While all this may sound like a far-fetched almost over-dramatic script for a new web series other than “The Crown”, these events and moments have proven one thing beyond a doubt, that fact is truly stranger than fiction.
Speaking of “The Crown”, season 4 premiered on Netflix on 15th November 2020. And, would you have guessed it, Princess Diana (played by Emma Corrin) featured strongly in it. Most of the main cast from season 3 returned, and we also have some big-wig names who made their entry into this highly acclaimed series.
“The Crown Season 4” saw Olivia Colman reprising her role as Queen Elizabeth II, Tobias Menzies returned as Prince Philip, Josh O’Connor gave us a brilliant portrayal of Prince Charles, Erin Doherty as Princess Anne, and Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret.
But it is Emma Corrin’s casting as Princess Diana and not to forget Gillian Anderson looking superb and practically unrecognizable as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that have fans waited with bated breath as to what this season subtly and overtly revealed about the goings-on during the time Princess Diana became part of the British Royal Family.
Worthy of an Anniversary
The summer of 2022 is when the world will be remembering the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death. The movie/documentary will be made in association with HBO (it will start streaming on HBO Max in due time post-release) and Sky (the show will stream post-release on Sky’s documentary channel in the U.K.).
Why is “Diana” interchangeably being called a movie and a documentary? Because it is going to be released in theatres like a proper movie and it is going to rely on a purely archival approach as to content.
Variety magazine put it nicely when it said, the film was going to use
“thousands of hours of news reports, previously unseen footage and photographs, to create a documentary record of the life and times of a global icon.”
What Have The Director, Distributor & Producers Promised Viewers?
Oscar-nominee for “Black Sheep”, Director Ed Perkins was thoroughly confident when he spoke to Variety.
“Though we are telling a story which has been told and re-told many times, my aim is to reframe it for a modern audience and make it feel as fresh and relevant as it ever has. The idea of taking an archive-only approach will allow us to immerse audiences in the narrative as if it were being told in the present.”
We also enjoyed reading what the Chinn brothers had to share on the matter: “The mythology surrounding Princess Diana remains as potent as ever, but we want to paint as honest a portrait as we can of a complex woman who had a powerful influence not just on the British monarchy but on wider society.
In doing so we also want to allow audiences not just to better understand Diana but, through her story, to come to an understanding of the era that shaped it and to connect the dots between then and now.”
Altitude’s director of distribution, Lia Devlin, had this to say:
“The life of Princess Diana is a global story that still resounds for generations today. Having worked closely with Lightbox previously we are acutely aware of the care, responsibility and attention with which they approach their filmmaking and alongside Ed’s consideration for her story, we look forward to ‘Diana’ as a compelling and honest film that will be embraced by audiences in the U.K. and worldwide.”
The Long Wait
Quotes and pretty words are all well and good and have generously whetted everyone’s desire to see “Diana” come back to life on the silver screen, the one arena that still retains her truest memories and deeds, and has continued to uphold her principles and desire for justice and equality.
We await the day in 2022 when this powerful documentary will air, reminding the world that for a brief time at least an Angel lived among us who could if she was not thwarted or pressured in any way, have made a lasting change that could have left one of the greatest legacies the world would have ever seen.
Diana was married to the current Prince of Wales, HRH Prince Charles. She is survived by two forward-thinking sons: Prince Harry (the former Duke of Sussex), and Prince William (the Duke of Cambridge). Princess Diana died on 31st August 1997 in a hospital bed when she could not survive her ‘car accident’ injuries as gracefully as she proved to survive the monarchy.