Hollywood's Miramax Films has sealed a deal to distribute British director Stephen Frears' controversial drama about how the royal family coped with the death of Princess Diana in the United States.
Industry bible Daily Variety said Friday that the studio had secured the rights to "The Queen," which is currently being filmed in Britain with Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II, American James Cromwell as Prince Philip and Michael Sheen as Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The film, written by Peter Morgan, focuses on the royal family in the aftermath of Princess Diana's death in a car accident in Paris in August 1997.
Miramax, a Walt Disney Co. unit originally founded by Tinseltown heavyeights Harvey and Bob Weinstein who left the firm earlier this year, said the film would premiere next year but that no US release date had been set.
