Spencer director on comparisons between his Diana movie and The Crown

Kristen Stewart in Spencer — (Image credit: Neon)

When the first Spencer trailer was released, The Crown comparisons were immediate. Kristen Stewart plays Princess Diana in the film, yet the Royal was recently portrayed in the Netflix series – to Emmy-nominated success – by Emma Corrin. Will Spencer be able to lose the comparisons and become its own thing?

Pablo Larraín certainly hopes so. Speaking to IndieWire at the Venice Film Festival, where the movie will debut, the director shrugged off the comparisons.

"I've seen every episode of The Crown not only for this movie but because I like it," he told the publication. "It's very good television. [Writer] Peter Morgan and his team really know what they're doing. I really respect and admire that. But the way we approach similar historical materials and the humanity of these characters is just different."

One way in which Larraín will differentiate the story is by taking some liberties with the truth, much like he did with the Natalie Portman-starring Jackie Kennedy biopic, Jackie. "We aren't trying to explain who she was or answer questions on the larger scale of her life," he said. "We're fictionalizing most of it based on what we think could have happened."

Stewart's performance is already garnering some awards buzz after footage was shown at CinemaCon. "Kristen Stewart is going all out for that Oscar glory," wrote one critic. No doubt the actor will be working the Oscars trail this awards season, hoping to get as many nods as Corrin did for her stellar work as Diana in The Crown.

Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.