Six months after announcing they would no longer be working members of the British royal family, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex become Hollywood producers as they sign a megawatt deal with Netflix.
What We Know:
- Prince Harry and Meghan, who have resettled in California, announced new Hollywood careers. The couple has founded a yet-to-be named production company and signed a multiyear deal with Netflix. Under the deal, Netflix will pay them to make documentaries, docu-series, feature films, scripted shows, and children’s programming.
- While Harry and Meghan may appear on camera during documentary programming, a representative said that Meghan has no plans to return to acting, last appearing in the USA Network’s legal drama Suits in 2018.
- “Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope,” the couple said in a statement. “As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us.” They added that Netflix’s platform, which has 193 million subscribers worldwide, has “unprecedented reach that will help us share impactful content that unlocks action”.
- In recent months, Harry and Meghan have been in talks with a variety of entertainment enterprises. It was reported that the couple had quietly talked with Disney and Apple. Two executives who were involved in the discussions with representatives of Harry and Meghan said they at one point were seeking a deal in the neighborhood of $100 million. Last month, Variety reported that the couple had also met with NBCUniversal.
- “We’re incredibly proud they have chosen Netflix as their creative home and are excited about telling stories with them that can help build resilience and increase understanding for audiences everywhere,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-chief executive and chief content officer, said in a statement. Netflix is under pressure as competitors, like Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and NBC’s Peacock, grow and they continue to compete for viewers.
- Family programming has become a new target for Netflix and it was announced that Harry and Meghan already have an animated series in development that is focused on inspiring women. Last week, Netflix released Rising Phoenix, a documentary about the Paralympic Games; Harry, who founded the Invictus Games for wounded veterans, appears in the film.
- Netflix noted that Harry and Meghan are “committed to highlighting diverse voices in front of and behind the camera” and “to diverse hiring practices for the key roles they are actively filling at their production company”.
- In January, Meghan and Harry, the second son of Prince Charles, abruptly announced they planned to step back from their royal duties, seek financial independence, and spend part of the year living in North America. After emotionally charged negotiations, Queen Elizabeth II granted the couple’s wishes in which they could give up their most exalted titles, His Royal Highness and Her Royal Highness. Along with it, the couple also agreed to give up public funding. This lead to a guessing game of how the couple would finance their lifestyle, including paying for security.
- In addition to their production company and the new deal with Netflix, in June, they signed a deal with the Harry Walker Agency for speaking engagements, with per-speech fees estimated at $1 million and topics (for Harry) including mental health and grieving. It is also widely speculated that the couple will make a podcast deal with Spotify, but a Spotify spokesman declined to comment.
At this time it is unclear how much Harry and Meghan will be paid in the Netflix deal given they have a lack of producing experience. A Netflix spokeswoman declined to comment. We wish the best of luck to the couple and are excited to see the programming they help create.
