The upcoming Grace Kelly biopic, Grace of Monaco, has stirred controversy before its release. An internal battle is ragging between the French director and producer, Olivier Dahan and Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, and the distributor, the Weinstein company.

According to the L.A. Times, the dispute began in January. Two versions of the film were then cut. The one for the American audience is described as “Capra-esque fairy tale” full of romance”, whereas the French version is a dark, tragic story. However, the Press Association reported Weinstein may still drop the movie. Dahan was quoted regarding the possibility:

“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 s**t’ 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.”

Refusing to comment on the dispute, Arash Amel, producer and writer of the movie, told the L.A. Times that “Grace Kelly was a complicated figure, and some will see her as a princess story and others will see her as a more tragic tale. It’s a matter of how you interpret the history,” although he did add, “It is strange to have two fundamentally different movies based on one set of pages. It almost feels like I’ve written a play and I’m seeing two different stagings of the work.”

Grace of Monaco will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this month. The film comes at an opportune time. Just a few weeks ago, on April 19th, passed the anniversary of Prince Rainier III and Grace’s Kelly’s wedding.

Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco #onthisday in 1956. This was The Times report http://t.co/qtvpFHP53i pic.twitter.com/OmvPqsiM62

— The Times of London (@thetimes) April 19, 2014

The movie has proven to be less than popular with those who it personally involves. Reuters quoted a statement from the Monaco royal family in which they said “The trailer appears to be a farce and confirms the totally fictional nature of this film. The Princely Family does not in any way wish to be associated with this film which reflects no reality and regrets that its history has been misappropriated for purely commercial purposes.”

It will remain to be seen if the controversy will continue after the film is released.

Cannes: Monaco Royal Family Calls Grace Kelly Film 'A Farce' http://t.co/WySaOyFyJV

— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 2, 2014

Image via Warner Bros. UK Trailers, YouTube