Dame Joan Collins Says She’s ‘Thrilled About the Challenge’ of Playing Wallis Simpson in Upcoming Biopic: ‘Iconic Woman’

Joan Collins, a longtime supporter of the British monarchy, will play Wallis Simpson in an upcoming biopic.

Collins, 91, will take on the role of Simpson, an American divorcee who King Edward VIII chose over the monarchy, abdicating the throne in 1936 and ultimately marrying her the next year. The two were married from 1937 until the end of Edward’s life in 1972; Simpson died in 1986 at age 89.

According to The Guardian, Collins will play Simpson in her last days in a film currently titled The Bitter End (and previously known as In Bed with the Duchess, perhaps a nod to Simpson’s Duchess of Windsor title after her marriage to Edward, who became Duke of Windsor after his abdication).

“I am thrilled about the challenge of playing this iconic woman in a previously untold story,” Collins said.

The film will be directed by Mike Newell (who previously directed Four Weddings and a Funeral) with a script written by Louise Fennell, mother of Oscar-winning writer and director Emerald Fennell.

The 1936 decision for King Edward VIII to marry the twice-divorced Simpson triggered a constitutional crisis; after less than a year as King, Edward abdicated on Dec. 10, 1936, leaving the throne to his younger brother, who became King George VI (and who was the future Queen Elizabeth’s father and King Charles’ grandfather).

Collins said in a 2023 interview that the script for The Bitter End had been written for her specifically, telling The Guardian, “It’s the true story of the last years of the Duchess of Windsor after the Duke dies.”

“You see her first of all when she’s full of pep and she’s got her young acolytes around her, then bit by bit she is destroyed by circumstances,” Collins added. “It’s a very good script, and it’s a great part for me. I’ve always been fascinated by Wallis, because I think she was unfairly treated.”

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Simpson — who previously said of her third marriage that “You have no idea how hard it is to live out a great romance” — has previously been played by Lia Williams in Netflix’s The Crown, Joely Richardson in Wallis & Edward, Faye Dunaway in The Woman I Love and Eve Best in The King’s Speech.

Collins, who The Guardian called “a vocal supporter of the British monarchy,” was made a dame in 2015.