Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been branded “naive” and “out of touch” to believe that their programme ideas would be “simply signed off” by Netflix, according to a source.
The news came after Netflix decided not to proceed with the former working royal couple’s first animated series, Pearl.
A source – who is a consultant with streaming services including Netflix said: “There was a belief that they thought that Pearl would simply be presented and released.
“But of course, people forget that each project faces vetting and the business has the right to veto projects, delete scenes and oversee editorial direction in their work.”
They went on to tell The Sun: “Just because they are royalty, they are not treated any different to others in the arena of programme commissioning, the deal may be millions on paper, but they are absolutely not allowed to make whatever they want.”
In September 2020, Harry and Meghan signed a multi-year deal with the streaming giant to create original content including documentaries, movies, series and children’s programming. This all came under the banner of Archewell Productions.
The first of Meghan’s projects which was due to launch on Netflix was an animated series called Pearl, which focused on the adventures of a 12-year-old girl who is inspired by influential women from history.
However, last week it was announced that Netflix would not be proceeding with the show.
The announcement follows the news that Netflix lost 200,00 subscribers worldwide during the first quarter of 2022.
Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan are free to pitch the show elsewhere, and it is believed they’re keen to do so.
They already have relationships with rival streamers including Apple, where Harry appeared on a mental health documentary, and Disney+, where Meghan did a voiceover for a wildlife documentary.
When Pearl was announced last summer, Meghan said: “Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges.”
Last week all references to Pearl were removed from the Archewell website.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
