Meghan Markle’s animated series ‘Pearl’ may have been scrapped by Netflix, but she’s hoping to give the show new life on competitor streamers such as Apple and Amazon.
‘Pearl’ was to be centered around a 12-year old girl of the same name whose character was inspired by Meghan Markle’s own childhood. Netflix decided to discontinue the series when it was still in its early development stages following a series of cutbacks amid financial concerns. The streaming giant saw a drastic decline in subscribers and had to let go of several projects, including Markle’s beloved ‘Pearl’.
Meghan Markle To Pitch ‘Pearl’ To Apple and Amazon After Being Canned By Netflix
Markle and Elton John’s husband David Furnish, who were both serving as executive producers on the cartoon, are now reportedly gearing up to pitch the concept to other streaming platforms. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have a substantial $100 million contract with Netflix but they retain the rights to any programs that the company passes on. Because Netflix has officially severed all ties to the creation of ‘Pearl,’ Markle now has the green light to shop it around elsewhere.
According to a source, the Duke and Duchess are seton making ‘Pearl’ happen. “Meghan and Harry will not give up on taking Pearl to the screen. They are determined to not let all the work and creative endeavors put into the idea simply fall away,” the source explained.
“Netflix has a standard deal with them, typical in Hollywood, allowing them to pitch projects rejected by them to other outlets. This is common practice within TV circles in Hollywood,” said the source.
Meghan and Harry already have a bit of history with other major streaming services such as Apple and Disney. Harry once appeared on a series about mental health for Apple and Meghan has done voice work for a Disney wildlife documentary.
Meghan first announced impending plans for ‘Pearl’ in a now-removed section of her Archewell website. “Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges. I’m thrilled that Archewell Productions, partnered with the powerhouse platform of Netflix and these incredible producers, will together bring you this new animated series, which celebrates extraordinary women throughout history,” the website previously stated before being removed.
‘Pearl’ was expected to be the first children’s animated series for Archewell Productions since it was established in 2020. As of now, the only project currently in the works over at Archewell is centered around the Invictus Games.
