Harry & Meghan’s Book-to-Screen Netflix Project in Limbo for 2 Years — Now the Author Breaks Silence
Author Carley Fortune of 'Meet Me at the Lake' recently revealed where the development stands today, as the project has stalled for 2 years.
Book-to-screen adaptations are notoriously risky; they either get trapped in development limbo or hit the screen having completely lost their soul. That’s the high-stakes challenge Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took on in 2023 when Archewell Productions snagged the rights to Carley Fortune’s bestseller, Meet Me at the Lake. They weren't just making a Netflix movie; they were carrying the heavy burden of fan expectations. Doing the story justice takes time, which likely explains the project was in a developmental limbo for two years—a dry spell Fortune finally broke with a fresh update.
This week, the bestselling author spoke with Jenna Bush Hager on Open Book with Jenna and revealed that a director was now attached to the project, but the script was “still being revised.” Fortune mentioned that she decided to sell the book rights after a “really good, long call” with Markle and Archewell producer Tracy Ryerson. The decision was eventually made after she was sure their vision for the film adaptation was in alignment with her own.
“I felt like they really understood the story and what mattered about the story,” Fortune said via PEOPLE. “It’s a romance, but it’s very much about a mother and daughter too, and we talked a lot about parenthood and also about how these love stories are about so much more. It’s a story about grief, it’s a story about mental health, and so I felt like it was in good hands with them.” Harry and Markle’s public advocacy for mental health awareness was likely a deciding factor for the author when she handed over the film rights. Given that the novel tackles heavy, sensitive themes, the couple's proven commitment to these issues offered reassurance that the story would be handled with care.
As per the official summary of Meet Me at the Lake, the book follows “two strangers on a daylong adventure where they make a promise one keeps and the other breaks, with life-changing effects.” The similarities between Harry and Markle’s real lives and the literary material of the book are hard to ignore. “The story is set in Canada and deals with mental health, postnatal depression, and childhood trauma over losing a parent in a car crash—all themes that mirror some of the experiences of Harry and Meghan’s real lives,” The Independent had reported in 2023.
While official production details are still under wraps, fans are already pitching their dream casts. Logan Lerman and Ben Barnes are popular choices for the male lead, while Sarah Hyland, Lucy Hale, and Phoebe Dynevor lead the picks for the female protagonist. Notably, Markle actually worked with Hale early in her career on Secrets of a Small Town, an unaired TV pilot.
Fortune's recent interview also included an amusing moment regarding her famous producers. When asked about her dynamic with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the author clarified with a laugh, “No, I am not hanging out with Harry and Meghan on weekends,” leading Bush Hager to counter, “You could!” For now, however, the royal couple's schedule appears too packed for casual weekend hangouts, as they are reportedly finalizing preparations for an upcoming visit to the UK next month.
