Opening this weekend, in limited release, is director Juan Antonio Bayona’s The Impossible.  Based on a true story, the film stars Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor as the parents of three boys vacationing in Thailand in 2004 when the tsunami hit.  Having survived, but finding themselves separated, the family members search for each other amidst the chaos, encountering strangers caught up in the same situation along the way.  The film also stars Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, and Oaklee Pendergast.  For more on The Impossible, here are eight clips and the trailer.

At the recent Los Angeles press day I got to speak to Naomi Watts.  We talked about why she wanted to make The Impossible, how she prepared for the role, filming the intense water scenes, and more.  In addition, we also talked about David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive and director Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Diana movie (she’s playing Princess Diana).  Hit the jump to watch.

After showing off the first images of Naomi Watts (King Kong) as Princess Diana recently, we now have the first official image to share with you.  The picture, previously titled Caught in Flight, will now be known simply as Diana. The Oliver Hirschbiegel (Downfall) film tells of the late princess’s secret affair with heart surgeon, Dr. Hasnat Kahn, who will be played by Lost’s Naveen Andrews. The Stephen Jeffreys‘ (The Libertine) script also follows Diana’s life as she transitioned her fame toward becoming a global campaigner and humanitarian.  Currently shooting, Diana also stars Douglas Hodge (Robin Hood), Charles Edwards (Batman Begins) and Juliet Stevenson (Bend It Like Beckham).  The film is scheduled to shoot for Croatia, Mozambique and the London area.

For the first time since Princess Diana’s death in 1997, the movie industry will pay homage to the life of the Queen of Hearts. An outpouring of tributes will flood Great Britain and the rest of the world next July when they commemorate what would have been the Princess’s 50^th birthday and the 30^th anniversary of her fairy tale wedding to Prince Charles. Two major and very different projects are currently being developed.  UK studio Pathé is banking on a traditional movie spanning her entire life from her childhood up until her tragic death in Paris, whereas Renaissance Films is taking a slightly darker approach by adapting the controversial book Diana: Closely Guarded Secret by Ken Wharfe, who served as Personal Protection Officer to the Princess of Wales for ten years, report French Elle and Britain’s Sunday Express.

Although Princes William and Harry have allegedly approved Pathé’s biopic, it is indeed very tricky to adapt the life of such a figure as Diana, complex and controversial yet so beloved. Not only the tone must take into consideration the hypersensitivity of her admirers, but its mainstream success also resides in the right casting for the role of Diana Spencer. Find out which actresses are being courted for both films and see my picks for the roles of Charles and Diana after the jump.