Declining user numbers
Duchess Meghan should produce: Netflix cancels the series
Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan at a reception in London. Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The project with the working title “Pearl” is on hold – the streaming service is struggling with falling user numbers.
Prince Harry (37) and Duchess Meghan (40) announced plans for the production of their first animated series on Netflix in July – but now the streaming service is canceling the project.
In addition to “Pearl”, several other animated series are also affected by the latest business decisions, as the dpa learned from Netflix. The industry portal “Deadline.com” had previously reported on the cancellation.
Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry signed a mega deal with Netflix
In 2021, through their Archewell foundation, the couple described the project with the working title “Pearl” as a series about the adventures of a twelve-year-old girl who is shaped by historically significant women along the way. Meghan was on board as creator and executive producer. Co-producers included David Furnish, husband of Elton John, who previously worked on the computer animated film Gnomeo and Juliet.
Harry and ex-actress Meghan (“Suits”) had announced a deal with Netflix for films, series and offers for children in 2020. Also planned is a documentary series about a sports competition created by Harry for war-disabled soldiers called “Invictus Games”. The dpa learned from Netflix that they would greatly appreciate working with Archewell Productions and would work together on a number of projects.
The streaming market leader had recently recorded a quarter with falling user numbers. In addition to increasing competitive pressure, the consequences of the Ukraine war also had an impact on the balance sheet.