Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry’s series is the latest project to be ‘quietly dropped’ by Netflix
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been dealt a blow as Netflix reportedly dropped a series created, to much fanfare, by the Duchess of Sussex.
As the stock price and subscriber numbers plummet, the streaming giant has cut a series of projects in development, as well as staff members.
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The Sussex animated series pearl was added to the list of grouped projects on Sunday, with Deadline reporting that he was “quietly abandoned”.
pearlproduced by Meghan and Harry under their company Archewell Productions, was to tell the story of a 12-year-old girl who follows famous women in history.
The aim of the series was to inspire young girls, as part of the Sussexes’ mission to “produce programming that informs, uplifts and inspires”. Archewell Productions mentioned.
“Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges,” Meghan previously said of the series.
“I am delighted that Archewell Productions, in partnership with the powerful platform of Netflix and these incredible producers, brings you together this new animated series, which celebrates extraordinary women throughout history.
“David Furnish and I have been looking forward to bringing this special series to light, and I’m thrilled that we can announce it today,” she said on the Archewell Productions website.
The project, which was announced in July 2021, is said to be in development, with Elton John’s husband David Furnish, 59, confirmed as producer.
In the same way Pearl, children’s series Dino Daycare and Ada Twist were also fired.
pearl was one of two series confirmed by Archewell Productions as part of an A$135 million deal with Netflix, signed in September 2020.
This series was to be the first program released on the platform.
Last month the Sussexes returned from the Netherlands where they filmed Heart of Invictus, the other project confirmed.
The series will follow the stories of contestants from Invictus Games, which were co-founded by Prince Harry in 2014, as an international sporting event for wounded, injured and ill service members, both serving and veterans.
Heart of Invictus is expected to be released later this year or early 2023.
Problem for Netflix
Netflix hit its peak subscriber count at the end of 2021, with record growth as COVID lockdowns held viewers captive.
But the service lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2022, its first big losses in a decade.
Additionally, 700,000 subscribers were dropped when Netflix withdrew from Russia during the Ukrainian War.
Additionally, the industry continues to become more saturated as more big players prosper, including Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.
Share prices have fallen 35% as investors question Netflix’s future as a market leader.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW: Netflix Reports Loss of Subscribers
Netflix reports loss of subscribers.
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