File this under "things that make us go hmmmm."
When Princess Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed died in a terrible car crash in 1997, some people pointed fingers at the paparazzi that were chasing their car at the time. Plenty chalked it up to, well, an accident. Meanwhile, a smaller group of people cooked up conspiracy theories that the royal family had something to do with the accident.
Sounds like Dodi's dad Mohamed and director Keith Allen (father of singer Lily Allen) are part of the latter group. Allen's new doc "Unlawful Killing" offers up a bevy of possible baddies behind the crash, from Nazis to arms dealers. Allen had some trouble getting the funds for his flick, so the elder Al-Fayed ponied up the money.
"Unlawful Killing" premiered at Cannes and has a few distribution deals in place in Europe, and now it seems that the US isn't far behind. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a rep is feeling out potential deals in the States. Conor Nolan told Reporter that they're gunning for a theatrical run or perhaps the small screen.
The UK is definitely not one of the territories where a deal is locked, or, it seems, even possible. According to Reporter, the doc would require at least 87 cuts before it would be considered for distribution. The doc is also raising some hairs over the use of a never before seen photo of Diana after the accident. The Guardian reported in May, "The black-and-white image is reportedly so graphic that it was pixelated during the inquest into Diana's fatal crash." Of course, older Netizen nerds know that such photos are readily available online if you're into that sort of thing.
Those who are perhaps a little less into conspiracies might want to hold out for one of the dueling Diana pics in the works. "Diana: Closely Guarded Secret" will star Charlize Theron as the late Princess in this movie based on the book by the Scotland Yard inspector who was assigned to protect Diana. The other film is an untitled biopic rumored to star Keira Knightly and Dame Helen Mirren.
What's your take on this documentary? Possible Lifetime-esque rubbish or a flick that the Royals want to banish for veddy good reasons?
