Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Could Face a 2025 ‘Financial Nightmare’ if They Can’t ‘Actually Pull off’ This Upcoming Netflix Project
It could be goodbye to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix deal in 2025. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex face a “ticking time bomb” that is their five-year contract with the streaming giant, according to a commentator. The reason they might part ways is not unlike Spotify and the Sussexes in 2023. Harry and Meghan may simply not deliver successful content beyond their 2022 Harry & Meghan docuseries. This means there’s a lot riding on the couple’s upcoming Netflix project.
Harry and Meghan must start churning out content to keep their Netflix contract
It’s got to be full-steam ahead on Harry and Meghan’s Netflix contract if they want to retain their contract with the streaming giant, according to Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator.
The pair face a “ticking time bomb” in that they must churn out content, and lots of it, quickly, he told The Sun.
“It may well be if the Sussexes don’t produce what they want … If they lost that, they really would be losers in every sense,” Fitzwilliams said, noting The Crown’s over.
“When The Hollywood Reporter recently called the Sussexes losers, I think it was speaking through what most people who are interested in them appear now to believe — that if they haven’t done anything” then they are “losers.”
“We still await whether or not they can adapt a romcom [Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune]. Or whether or not they’ll produce something serious. Or whether or not Megan’s agency, which she joined” in April 2023.
“I mean, nothing has happened. So if this remains the case, interest in them obviously will wain,” he added, calling it “light years away” from when Meghan and Harry made Time’s 100 Most Influential People list in 2021.
Harry and Meghan’s Netflix deal hinges upon ‘Meet Me at the Lake’ being a success
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who inked a deal with Netflix worth a reported $100 million in 2020, have a lot riding on Meet Me at the Lake.
Announced in the summer of 2023, Meet Me at the Lake is being made into a Netflix original film with Harry and Meghan as producers through Archewell Productions.
According to Express, the question is whether or not they can successfully produce a movie.
“Netflix bought the book they are adapting, but the question everyone in Hollywood is asking is: Can they actually pull this off without either of them having any real prior experience?” an entertainment source told the outlet.
“This is a make-or-break year for them in every sense,” they continued. “Either their company turns this project into a success, or they could face a financial nightmare if Netflix pulls the plug on a new contract with them in 2025.”
A potential Suits reunion for Meghan would be “a nice bonus if it happens.” Although “it’s small change compared to the sort of powerhouse production set-up they have tried to create.”
Meghan Markle previously teased she and Harry have ‘so many exciting things’ coming
While attending Variety’s Power of Women event solo in November 2023, Meghan hinted she and Harry have a lot going on.
“We have so many exciting things on the slate,” she said. “I can’t wait until we can announce them, but I’m just really proud of what we’re creating.”
“My husband is loving it, too,” she added, calling it “really fun.”
At the time of writing, Harry and Meghan have three completed projects available on Netflix. They include Harry & Meghan, which premiered in December 2022, followed closely by Live to Lead.
Their most recent Netflix project came in August 2023 with Heart of Invictus. The docuseries followed competitors in the Harry-founded Invictus Games.
