Last year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell Productions signed a new deal with Netflix. In 2020, Netflix reportedly signed them to a five-year production/development deal for $100 million. Out of that contract, Prince Harry and Meghan produced multiple projects including With Love, Meghan, Heart of Invictus, Polo and their hugely successful Harry & Meghan docuseries. The H&M docuseries was the big “hit,” and WLM was a success as well, especially given that WLM was in the top-ten most-watched shows in dozens of countries. Last year, the Sussexes’ Netflix contract was not “renewed” under the old terms. Instead, they were given a first-look deal, which meant less money upfront but more freedom and less pressure. We’ve known that Archewell has at least two feature films in development limbo, Meet Me at the Lake and The Wedding Date (which was just announced in the past year). Now Page Six has some unnamed “Hollywood insiders” claiming that Harry and Meghan’s projects are going nowhere.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s remaining Netflix projects appear to be stuck in limbo — leaving their first look deal with the streamer up in the air, sources tell Page Six.
Back in August 2023, the Sussexes announced their media company, Archwell Productions, would produce a movie based on Carley Fortune’s hit book “Meet Me at the Lake.” Netflix paid around $3 million for the rights to the novel. But nearly three years later, we’re told the project is still classed as in development but hasn’t got very far — lacking both a director and a cast, leaving Hollywood insiders baffled.
“Three years in development for a movie like this at Netflix isn’t good,” a well-placed Hollywood source told us.
First look deals work by studios paying a retainer to producers in order to get first refusal on any projects they come up with; those producers then get paid more when they sell a project. It’s not known how long the Sussex’s first look deal lasts for.
In September, the Sussexes — who last week made a humanitarian trip to Jordan just days before the war against Iran started — also announced they were making an adaptation of Jasmine Guillory’s romantic novel, “The Wedding Date.” However, this, too, is still classed as in development at Netflix.
The Sussexes offered Netflix their new documentary “Cookie Queen,” which recently debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. However, the film about Girl Scout cookies has not yet been bought by a distributor or streamer, even though it won plaudits at Sundance.
As Page Six exclusively revealed, Markle’s lifestyle show, “With Love, Meghan,” has not been recommissioned by Netflix for a third season amid falling ratings.
“I don’t know how long this new deal is for, but if they don’t have anything to show soon, I can’t imagine it will be renewed,” said an industry source. We have reached out to Netflix and Sussex reps.
Rather than TV, Markle is believed to be concentrating on her tie-in lifestyle range, “As Ever,” made in tandem with Netflix. Although there had been chatter she could make a series of specials for holidays, including Valentine’s Day and July 4, so far, nothing has been given the green light.
Sources close to Archewell told us several scripted and unscripted titles are in various phases of development with the streamer and are moving through the normal creative process. We’re also told Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos gets on very well with the couple. They said that both “Meet Me at the Lake” and “The Wedding Date” remain in development, insisting that Archewell continues to have a positive and collaborative relationship with Netflix, a sentiment echoed by insiders at Netflix.
“I don’t know how long this new deal is for, but if they don’t have anything to show soon, I can’t imagine it will be renewed…” They literally just signed this new first-look deal last year? And they signed that deal after five years of “insiders” screaming and wailing about how Netflix hates the Sussexes and Netflix couldn’t wait to be free of them. Now, I also don’t get why it’s taking so long to put together Meet Me at the Lake, but I also think Netflix is taking a new approach with the Sussexes too. Anyway, I’m sure that Netflix is fine with the Sussexes and vice versa. These gloom-and-doom pieces always come out after the Sussexes are successful at something else. Like, by all metrics, Meghan’s As Ever has had a spectacular first year. They also had a great humanitarian trip to Jordan last week. That’s what this story is really about.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.
