Paging Oscar, paging Dr. Oscar! One of this fall’s buzziest biopics is certainly Diana, examining the last years of Diana, Princess of Wales (Naomi Watts), and her highly scrutinized relationship with Pakistani heart surgeon Dr. Hasnat Khan (Naveen Andrews).
The film, directed by German director Oliver Hirschbiegel (The Invasion), focuses on Diana’s struggle to escape the pressures of celebrity and live out from under the thumb of the Royal Family. It takes place during the last two years of Diana’s life, following her high-profile divorce from Prince Charles.
The recently-released international trailer comes out of Japan, and features a ton of new footage from the project, including glimpses of Diana’s anti-landmine advocacy work and her relationship with Khan.
It seems obvious that Entertainment One will be launching an Oscar campaign both for the film and Watts’ performance, and based on the footage I’ve seen so far, it looks like Watts might be a serious contender for Best Actress this year. The Academy loves biopics, and Watts’ resemblance to the princess is uncanny. Plus, Watts is an Academy-friendly name, having received two previous nominations in the Best Actress category for 21 Grams and The Impossible.
The only thing that might be standing in the way of Watts receiving Academy attention for the role is simple voter fatigue, after a deluge of biopics in recent years including Lincoln, The Iron Lady, The Butler, Hitchcock, My Week with Marilyn and the upcoming Saving Mr. Banks. The Bill Murray-starring Hyde Park on Hudson undeniably suffered from this last year, receiving absolutely no love from the Academy despite its awards-bait cast.
What did you think of that trailer? Are you tired of biopics, or does Diana look like a must-watch? Will this film finally earn Watts her first Oscar? Let me know what you think in the comments.
