Meghan Markle isn't taking no for an answer – but will her Netflix deal survive its
latest setback?
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's lucrative partnership with streaming giant Netflix,
reported to be worth $100 million, is said to have soured in recent months.
For one thing, Netflix is reportedly annoyed with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's behavior
after the Duke gave exclusive details about his close relationship with the queen, among
many other things, to rival network NBC despite their multimillion-dollar deal.
"You saw your grandmother.
How was that?"
"It was great.
It was really nice to see her.
To be able to see her in some element of privacy was nice."
Sources told the Daily Mail that bosses at the streaming giant were enraged by Harry's
decision, especially since a Netflix production team was following him at the time.
But this is just the start of the couple's woes with Netflix.
The celebrity couple inked their massive Netflix deal back in 2020, with a view toward creating
a whole range of content for the streamer.
However, it seems that Meghan and Harry have yet to live up to their end of the bargain.
Making matters worse, one of the Sussexes' two projects known to be in development for
the streamer, the educational series "Pearl," will not be going forward.
Deadline confirmed the animated family series, reportedly a passion project for Meghan, had
been canceled.
Despite the cancellation, Meghan Markle isn't giving up without a fight.
After Netflix scrapped it, The Sun reported that the ambitious royal is actively trying
to find a new home for "Pearl".
In the meantime, the former "Suits" star has apparently removed any mention of the show
from the official website for her and Harry's company, Archewell Productions.
The only project still listed as in-the-works on the site is the docuseries "Heart Of Invictus,"
which is set to profile competitors at the Invictus Games, a sporting event for military
veterans which Harry founded in 2014.
As for the fate of "Pearl," Archewell Productions is reportedly brainstorming how to pitch the
project to high-profile Netflix rivals like Apple and Amazon, which is said to be allowed
under the terms of the Sussexes' current contract with Netflix.
An insider confirmed to The Sun,
"Meghan and Harry will not give up on taking 'Pearl' to the screen.
They are determined to not let all the work and creative endeavors put into the idea simply
fall away."
Apple may prove to be the ideal home for "Pearl," since Prince Harry previously co-hosted a
mental health series, "The Me You Can't See," for Apple TV+.
Following the news about "Pearl's" cancellation at Netflix, industry sources are now claiming
that the deal she and Harry have with the streamer could be at risk.
Daily Mail reports the Sussexes have been accused of pitching dull ideas, and need to
step up their game if they want to secure the massive payday they were promised.
A Netflix spokesman refused to confirm or deny details about the relationship, noting
to the Daily Mail,
"Archewell Productions remains a valued partner and we are continuing to work together on
a number of projects."
"Netflix have paid them a huge amount of money and haven't seen anything in the way of content."
Netflix isn't the only company having trouble with the Sussexes.
After months of inactivity, Spotify took action over Meghan and Harry's podcast, Archewell
Audio.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Spotify was hiring production staff to help Prince
Harry and Meghan Markle finally create the content they promised to deliver.
The celebrity couple signed what was estimated to be a $25 million deal with Spotify in December
2020 to create content for the company, but as of the making of this video, they've only
released one short podcast episode.
As is said to be the case with Netflix, there are reportedly concerns that the Sussexes
are failing to live up to the expectations of their contract.
Just a couple of months after the producer search began at Spotify, Meghan confirmed
she was moving forward with a new show called "Archetypes."
A one-minute teaser for the show was posted on the Archewell Audio feed in March 2022.
Variety reports that the first episode of the show, which will be hosted by the Duchess,
is expected to drop later this summer.
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