Netflix has decided to drop Meghan Markle’s animated series amid a flurry of canceled projects sparked by the US video streaming service’s declining subscriber base. “Pearl”, the working title of the series created by Meghan Markle, has been officially canceled, reports the specialized site Deadline this Sunday.
The series, which was created by the ex-Duchess of Sussex through her production house Archewell Productions, was still in the development stage. The Suits star and Prince Harry founded Archewell Productions in the fall of 2020 with the aim of creating scripted series, docuseries, documentaries, feature films and children’s programming. “Pearl” was to be the production company’s first animated series.
This abandonment would not mean the end of the collaboration of the American giant with the former princely couple. Despite Pearl’s abandonment, Deadline insiders say a number of planned projects, including a documentary series called “Heart of Invictus,” which follows the recent Invictus Games, are still on track.
Netflix has made several cuts projects in recent days, including dropping two other children’s shows. The streaming site also laid off staff.
Netflix redirects producers to other platforms
Last week, the streaming service had already removed the “Dino Daycare” program, and the South Asian-inspired adventure “Boons and Curses”. Both shows were already in production. Sources with knowledge of the cancellations told Deadline that Netflix warned producers to bring projects still in development to other platforms. On the other hand, the specialized site could not confirm that Archewell Productions received equivalent advice
The streaming giant had however disbursed $ 100 million in the agreement with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in September 2020. It must be said that for the moment, Harry and Megan have not yet produced any content.