Naomi Watts to Play Princess Diana

Earlier reports suggested Jessica Chastain of "The Help" might nab the role

Naomi Watts has garnered the enviable part of Princess Diana of Wales in the upcoming film "Caught in Flight," BBC News reports.

The 43-year-old Australian star of "21 Grams," "J Edgar" and "Eastern Promises" said it was "such an honour to be able to play this iconic role."

The movie will focus on the last two years of Princess Di's life and will examine her little-known relationship with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan. That affair ended just a few months before Diana, the ex-wife of Britain's Prince Charles, was killed in a car crash in 1997.

Earlier reports had suggested that the role might go to Jessica Chastain, who isn't herself hurting for major roles in major Hollywood movies.

"Caught in Flight" is set to be directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, who is no stranger to biopics focused on very specific aspects of historic figures' lives. He previously directed the Oscar-nominated "Downfall," about the last 12 days of Adolf Hitler's life in his bunker in Berlin.

Hirschbiegel called his chosen star "a truly exceptional actress who embodies the warmth, humanity and empathy of such a global icon."

Selected Reading: BBC News, Reuters

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