Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has fallen victim to cutbacks at Netflix. The streaming giant has dropped plans for her animated series Pearl.
Dropping several projects, including Markle’s, was part of strategic decisions on production of animated series, the company said in a statement, without providing further details on its decision.
Archewell Productions, the company formed by Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, said last year that she would be an executive producer of Pearl. The series was to be centered on the adventures of a 12-year-old girl who is inspired by influential women from history.
Netflix also decided not to move forward with the two animated children’s series Dino Daycare and Boons and Curses.
The decision to cancel these shows comes after Netflix reported a loss of 2,00,000 subscribers in the first quarter, falling well short of its forecast of adding 2.5 million.
Last year, Netflix extended a deal for animation films with Comcast’s subsidiary Universal Pictures, a move that was expected to help Netflix hold on to child viewers.
Netflix said that they would continue to work on projects with Archewell, including the previously announced documentary series Heart of Invictus. The series will focus on athletes competing in the Invictus Games for injured veterans, an event founded by Prince Harry, in The Hague in 2022.
