New Trailer for 'Grace of Monaco' Starring Nicole Kidman

When Grace of Monaco was bumped from its Oscar-qualifying perch, only to be followed by an apparent beef between director Olivier Dahan and Harvey Weinstein, things weren't looking good for the Nicole Kidman drama. But things have settled down with the film earning the coveted opening night slot at the Cannes Film Festival, and now a new trailer has arrived before the big unveiling.

Kidman stars as Grace Kelly, the former Hollywood actress who gave it all up when she married Prince Rainier III of Monaco. Set in 1962, the story mostly centers on her involvement in the dispute between her husband and Charles De Gaull of France over land and tax disputes, with the threat of invasion looming in the background. It's an interesting moment in time to focus on, but judging by this footage it will also explore her attempts to balance her many obligations while in the public eye.

Co-starring Tim Roth, Paz Vega, Parker Posey, and Frank Langella, Grace of Monaco has no release date but will probably arrive during awards season.

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Nicole Kidman Lands Aussie Mystery 'Strangerland' as 'Grace of Monaco' Controversy Heats Up

While the most recent new wave of Australian cinema has mostly been led by directors such as David Michod, Cate Shortland, and John Hillcoat, there are plenty of veteran actors from Down Under who have been carrying the torch for some time. As part of a substantial $32.3M deal for a package of six feature films that will unite some of Australia's best directors and actors together, and the most promising of which will bring together the talents of Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce.

Variety reports the trio will return to their native home for Strangerland, an Aussie mystery about a couple whose relationship crumbles when their children mysteriously go missing in the Outback. The film marks the feature directorial debut by Kim Farrant (Naked On the Inside), with a script by Fiona Seres and Michael Kinirons.

Certainly it sounds promising, and it will be good to hear all three in their native accents rather than ducking behind American ones. Screen Australia describes the film as having “strong creative potential and massive A-list festival potential.”, which is something that also could have been said for Kidman's biopic, Grace of Monaco. The Grace Kelly film was meant to arrive this fall and likely would have secured Kidman a place in the Best Actress race, but The Weinstein Company bumped it into next year, saying the film simply wasn't finished. Think that's the end of the story? Not when Weinstein is involved.

According to director Olivier Dahan, the real flap is over the final cut of the film, and yes Harvey "Scissorhands" Weinstein has his paws all over this one as well. Dahan tells Liberation (via THR) that he's basically fighting to put out the version he always intended....

Dahan: "The film that I am in the process of finishing is complicated to finalize, although actually, for me, it is finished. What's complicated at the moment is ensuring that you, the critics, can review my version of the film and not that of somebody else. It's not over yet. I haven't given up."

He went on to add that Weinstein is essentially trying to back him into a corner to agree on the studio version of the film, but based on his answers this could be a long battle....

Dahan: "It's right to struggle, but when you confront an American distributor like Weinstein, not to name names, there is not much you can do. Either you say 'Go figure it out with your pile of shit' or you brace yourself so the blackmail isn't as violent … If I don't sign, that's where the out-and-out blackmail starts, but I could go that far. There are two versions of the film for now: mine and his … which I find catastrophic."

So who knows how this will turn out, but Kidman should be good to go either way. Besides Strangerland she also recently agreed to produce and star in an adaptation of best-selling novel, The Silent Wife.

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No Longer a Contender: 'Grace of Monaco' Bumped to 2014

One of the films many were expecting to be a major Oscar contender this fall was Grace of Monaco, which certainly would have had The Weinstein Company putting all of their marketing muscle behind Nicole Kidman for her performance as Grace Kelly. The film was given an Oscar-qualifying limited run beginning November 27th, and the push began with the first trailer arriving just a few days ago. But it turns out that Weinstein no longer wants to look at this as just another prestige entry, they want to actually make some money off it. Go figure. So to do that they've bumped it out of the Academy Awards race and into 2014.

THR reports that Grace of Monaco is being moved to some time next spring in order to make it more of a commercial film. They've found success with a similar tactic before on Best Picture winner The King's Speech, but it's surprising to see them do it at such a late date. The other reason given for the move is to provide director Olivier Dahan, who helped take Marion Cottilard to a Best Actress win for La Vie En Rose, ample time to finish the film.

The most recent teaser trailer may have been Weinstein's first attempts to make the story more accessible as it leaves out much of the plot and settles for glamorous mood. Grace Kelly's superstar career as one of Hollywood's top actresses isn't the film's focus, instead centering on the role she played in settling a tax dispute between her husband Prince Rainier III of Monaco and France's Charles De Gaulle, a feud that could have led to invasion.

So knock one major Oscar threat off the list, and look for Grace of Monaco to be a player next year.

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Nicole Kidman in Elegant First Trailer for 'Grace of Monaco'

Nicole Kidman's name has become all but synonymous with the Oscar season, and while some are already picking favorites for the Best Picture race, it doesn't truly begin until she has had her say. While it didn't play any of the recent festivals, Grace of Monaco is already beginning to build up buzz for director Olivier Dahan (La Vie En Rose) and Kidman, taking on the role of glamorous  actress Grace Kelly in a film that has little to do with her Hollywood career.

The first Grace of Monaco trailer has been released, and while it's certainly elegant and Kidman appropriately ravishing in the lead, it also hides the fact that this film is a political drama first and foremost. Kelly retired from acting at the age of 26 after her marriage to Monaco's Prince Rainier III (Tim Roth), and spent the rest of her all-too-brief life focusing on her duties as princess. Set in 1962, the film centers on the part she played in resolving a tax dispute between Rainier and France's Charles De Gaulle, one that could have ended with invasion.

There probably aren't many willing to pay to see a film about Monaco's tax-exempt status, so it's not much of a surprise that the trailer focuses exclusively on Kidman, the beautiful cinematography, and what was surely a vast costume design budget. Co-starring Milo Ventimiglia, Paz Vega, Parker Posey, and Frank Langella, Grace of Monaco opens on November 27th.

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