When making a biopic there are many benefits to having the approval of the person or the family of the person the movie is about. Not only can it be used as a marketing tool, it's helpful from a storytelling perspective as the filmmakers can get access to information and relationships that they would otherwise be distanced from. Oh, and there's also the fact that if you risk not getting the approval of the people you're making a movie about you're also risking them slandering it in public.
An official statement has been released by Prince Albert of Monaco and his sisters Princess Caroline and Princess Stephanie regarding the upcoming Grace Kelly biopic Grace f Monaco and in the letter they have officially denounced the project as being a work of "pure fiction." Directed by Olivier Dahan and based on a Black List script written by Arash Amel, the film tells the story of how the Rear Window actress helped orchestrate political maneuverings that downgraded conflict between French leader Charles De Gaulle and Monaco’s Prince Rainier (to whom Kelly was married) over Monaco's existence as a tax haven. The Hollywood Reporter first picked up the statement, which says,
For us, this film does not constitute a biographical work but portrays only a part of her life and has been pointlessly glamorized and contains important historical inaccuracies as well as scenes of pure fiction.
Grace of Monaco stars Nicole Kidman, Tim Roth, Milo Ventimiglia, Parker Posey, Paz Vega and Frank Langella and is actually still in production. While it doesn't currently have a domestic distributor, the film is expected to be released in 2014.
