Towards the end of last year, we heard that rising star Jessica Chastain, for whom 2011 was an incredibly impressive year, was set to play Princess Diana as the lead in the film Caught in Flight.

Word now comes via Variety that Naomi Watts has been cast in the role instead, and will be directed by BATFA-nominated director, Oliver Hirschbiegel (Downfall), produced by the UK production company Ecosse Films, whose credits include Brideshead Revisited, Nowhere Boy, and Andrea Arnold’s recent Wuthering Heights.

“Story focuses on the last two years of the Princess’ life and charts how finding true personal happiness for the first time allowed her to evolve into a major international campaigner and humanitarian.”

Though there’s no mention of why Watts is coming on board now instead of Chastain, it could well be that with production scheduled to begin later this year here in the UK on Caught in Flight, Chastain wouldn’t be able to fit it into her schedule. She currently has Kathryn Bigelow’s untitled bin Laden film on her slate, and since that’s set for a 19th December release this year, Chastain might not have been able to commit to both.

The Oscar-nominated Watts has most recently been seen in J. Edgar opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, and will be seen alongside Ewan McGregor later this year in The Impossible.