Harry and Meghan Suffer Fresh Blow As Netflix Projects Sit in 'Limbo' Indefinitely: Source
Harry and Markle's highly acclaimed multiyear partnership allows them to produce more projects while giving Netflix access to their ideas.
Despite the renewal of their multi-year agreement with Netflix last year, in August, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly facing setbacks. According to a well-placed Hollywood source, their projects with the streaming giant are stuck in limbo, leaving their first-look deal hanging in the balance. One of their productions, a movie based on Carley Fortune's book Meet Me at the Lake, remains on the back burner nearly three years later — raising speculation over their creative momentum and the future of their partnership.
In August 2023, Harry and Markle announced that their company, Archewell Productions, would produce a movie based on Meet Me at the Lake, for which Netflix reportedly paid around $3 million to secure the novel's rights. However, that production is still up in the air, as it is allegedly lacking both a director and a cast. The insider told Page Six, "Three years in development for a movie like this at Netflix isn't good." Typically, a first-look deal involves a studio paying producers a retainer in exchange for the first opportunity to review and accept any new ideas or content they develop. It remains unknown how long the Sussexes' first-look agreement lasts.
In September last year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also announced that they were adapting Jasmine Guillory's romantic novel, The Wedding Date, but the project is also said to be in development. They had also allegedly pitched their latest documentary, Cookie Queen, to Netflix after the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25. Despite receiving big laurels at the Sundance for exploring the world of Girl Scouts of the USA cookie sales, it has yet to secure a distributor on the streaming platform.
To make matters worse, sources reveal that Markle's Netflix cooking show, With Love, Meghan, may not be recommissioned for a third season owing to a massive fall in ratings. "I don't know how long this new deal is for, but if they [Harry and Markle] don't have anything to show soon, I can't imagine it will be renewed." Rubbishing such claims, insiders close to Archewell, meanwhile, have argued that several scripted and unscripted shows are progressing through the usual creative process. They also stressed that Netflix's CEO, Ted Sarandos, continues to have a good relationship with the Sussexes, and Archewell shares a cooperative partnership with the streaming giant, a sentiment echoed by sources at Netflix.
For those unversed, Harry and Markle's highly acclaimed multiyear partnership allows them to produce projects while giving Netflix access to their ideas. The deal followed months of speculation that their original $100 million agreement would be axed. The Duchess had announced the extension of the same in a statement, which read, "We're proud to extend our partnership with Netflix and expand our work together to include the As Ever brand. My husband and I feel inspired by our partners who work closely with us and our Archewell Productions team to create thoughtful content across genres that resonates globally, and celebrates our shared vision."
