First there was the six-part docu-series. Then there was the memoir. Now it looks like we could get Harry and Meghan: The Movie.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly in talks to make a film about their lives. According to one source, they have been having discussions with Netflix – with whom they already have a multimillion-dollar deal – to produce a movie that will focus on their experience of being working royals in the UK and the reasons behind their abrupt departure in 2019.
The insider says the couple believe they have a “big- screen story to tell about what happened at the palace”, despite the fact they’ve already revealed many details of their lives in the documentary series Harry & Meghan and Harry’s memoir Spare. “There are lots of nuances from their story that they still feel are missing after the documentary and Harry’s book.”
They’ve previously pitched ideas for children’s shows and documentaries, but Netflix wants “the juicy stuff” about their lives, says the source, and would be willing to pay big bucks. “They would get a handsome payday for it, which is hugely tempting. Meghan is really pushing for it to happen, while Harry wants to tread more carefully. But they are entertaining the idea and their team is talking about the kind of money they would want for the rights to their story.”
The couple’s Netflix series will be small fry compared to the new deals on offer.
If that doesn’t work out, we still may get to see a version of their story on screen if a film or TV adaptation is made of Harry’s book. Another Hollywood insider says major studios are looking into the possibility of acquiring the rights to Spare. If that happened, it would make sense for Harry to do a deal for his and Meghan’s company, Archewell Productions, to produce the resulting movie or TV series. The couple would be in a “win-win position”, says the source. “He will command a top-dollar fee for the rights, while involving Archewell would mean a lucrative ‘double dip’.”
It’s likely any kind of adaptation would focus on the more explosive claims from Spare, such as his rift with his father the King and his brother Prince William. “Harry will be fully aware of that, which is why he would insist on very tight control, through Archewell.”
It appears any film or TV show – whether based on Spare or an original script – would be centred on Harry and Meghan’s life together after meeting in 2016, and the circumstances that led them to walking out of their senior royal roles and moving to the US, where they now live with their children Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two.
If they wanted to extend it beyond that time frame, there would certainly be plenty of fodder for an ongoing drama series, points out another industry source. “There’s the situation with the Queen dying and Harry not being allowed to take Meghan to Balmoral with him, and also attending the coronation alone.”
There’s also the recent “near-catastrophic car chase” when they were followed by paparazzi in New York. And the couple’s court dramas could be a series on their own, adds the insider. The couple have been involved in cases against newspapers – including one that printed details of a private letter Meghan, 41, sent to her dad Thomas Markle – and Harry, 38, is currently in the middle of a trial in which he claims stories printed in Mirror Group newspapers about him were obtained by hacking his phone.
Midas touch! The couple, out with Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland, at the Women of Vision Awards, where the duchess was honoured.
He’s also in the midst of a case against the Home Office because they’ve refused to let him pay for police protection whenever he is back in the UK. (He doesn’t automatically qualify for police bodyguards because he’s no longer a working royal.) He has just lost a legal challenge that made up part of his case, with the judge ruling he can’t have a review of how the Home Office made its decision not to let him pay for protection.
The Home Office legal team said it was a matter of policy to oppose the idea that a “wealthy person should be permitted to ‘buy’ protective security”.
But there are still claims to be heard over his UK security issues.
Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan have faced other security problems at home in Montecito, California, with a man arrested last month after being caught lurking outside their mansion in the middle of the night. It’s not known if the couple were at home at the time.
It’s estimated Meghan and Harry spend between $3.3-$5 million a year on security, which is part of the reason why they need to make a large income, and why selling their life stories for a movie is an appealing option.
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