A documentary regarding the royal is set for a theatrical release worldwide in summer 2022 to mark the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death. The film will be produced in association with HBO and Sky.
It will have its television premiere on HBO and stream on HBO Max within the U.S and Sky Documentaries within the U.K. The film will be released in the U.K. and Ireland by Altitude Film Distribution.
Lightbox is the company that co-founded by Simon Chinn. He is one who has won a double Oscars for Searching for Sugar Man and Man on Wire, followed by Jonathan Chinn, who was a double Primetime Emmy winner for LA 92 and American High.
Thousands of hours of news reports, previously unseen footage and photographs have been looked upon and studied to create this documentary record of a global icon’s life and times.
The upcoming documentary will be directed by Ed Perkins, who was an Oscar-nominee for Black Sheep.
They informed Variety that although it is a story that has been told and re-told many times. The production and producers still aim to reframe it to be relevant for a modern audience and make it feel fresh.
They also added that taking the idea of an archive-only approach will allow them to narrate the whole thing as somewhat told in the present.
Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn added that they wanted to portray an honest story that will show Diana as a complex woman who had a powerful influence not just on the British monarchy but also on wider society and helped the audience connect the dots.
It is said that Altitude Film Sales has already pre-sold the film to theatrical buyers in multiple territories that include Benelux (Piece of Magic), Germany and Austria (Studio Hamburg), Italy (I Wonder Pictures), Portugal (NOS Lusomundo Audiovisuais), Switzerland (Ascot Elite), Czech Republic (AQS), Japan (Tohokushinsha), Australia & New Zealand (Madman), Middle East (Phars) and Turkey (Filmarti).
Lia Devlin, who is director of distribution at Altitude, said that the life of Princess Diana is a worldwide story that actually reverberates for ages, even up to this day.
Having worked with Lightbox, they are already aware of the consideration and obligation with which they approach their filmmaking to capture the essence of the film.