Nicole Kidman's Panned 'Grace of Monaco' Skips Theaters, Will Air on Lifetime

By Alex Stedman

Nicole Kidman’s troubled Grace Kelly biopic Grace of Monaco is skipping a theatrical release and will be airing on Lifetime May 25, the network announced on Tuesday.

The drama opened the Cannes Film Festival in May to mostly negative reviews, with Variety‘s Scott Foundas calling it a “cornball melodrama.” The film was plagued by drama onscreen and off, with The Weinstein Co. originally making a $5 million deal to acquire U.S. rights to the $35 million production.

Grace of Monaco takes place in 1962, six years after Kelly celebrated her “wedding of the century” and finds her yearning for a return to her acting career. It also stars Tim Roth as Prince Rainier III, Frank Langella, Parker Posey, and Paz Vega.

The movie is executive produced by Claudia Bluemhuber, Uday Chopra, Uta Fredebeil and Bill Johnson, with Chopra also serving as producer. Olivier Dahan directed from Arash Amel’s screenplay.

The Weinstein Co. originally dated the film for November 2013, drumming up Oscar buzz, before pushing it back to spring 2014. The movie’s release was then pulled indefinitely.

Last year, the royal family of Monaco objected to the movie, issuing a statement that read, “The trailer appears to be a farce and confirms the totally fictional nature of this film.”

“I mean, obviously, I feel sad, because I think the film has no malice toward the family, particularly toward Grace or [Prince] Rainier,” Kidman said of the controversy at Cannes in May. “It’s a fictionalization. You take dramatic license.”

Lifetime has recently aired biopics of Whitney Houston, Aaliyah, Brittany Murphy and Elizabeth Taylor.

Grace of Monaco will air on Lifetime at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Memorial Day, May 25.

Watch the trailer: