05 August 2023 , 23:55
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly set to produce a new film for Netflix based on a novel that has some eerie parallels for the Prince and the death of his mother, the late Lady Diana Spencer.
The 38-year-old Duke of Sussex and his 42-year-old wife, Meghan, signed a commercial deal with Netflix back in 2020 - but have so far created a low amount of content, mainly including their Harry & Meghan documentary series. Earlier this year, the couple were dropped by Spotify - with whom they had a smilier content creating deal - after their Archetypes podcast series was cancelled after 12 episodes.
There had been speculation that the couple would lose their Netflix deal. However, the pair are set to make a new film drama - with the news coming weeks after a source stated that their deal with Netflix was still in tact.
Fans of Harry will be surprised to learn he and Meghan have bid for the rights to turn a novel called Meet Me At The Lake, by author Carley Fortune, into a film. The plot details of the romantic novel are eerily similar to the lives of the royal couple.
Prince Harry is creating a film based on a book that seems to echo his life (Getty Images)The story focuses on a couple who fall for each other once they enter their 30s, and one of the characters is left with trauma following the death of a parent in a car crash. Prince Harry was 12-years-old when Diana died at the age of 36 in 1997.
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He and Meghan met when he was 32 and she was 35 - beginning their romance in 2016, tying-the-knot in 2018, welcoming their first child in 2019, and their second in 2021. Meet Me At The Lake also includes themes of mental health and post-natal depression. A source told The Sun: “The themes of the book gripped the couple and it was chosen for their first adaptation with Netflix.”
The film is an adaptation of best-selling romantic novel Meet Me At The LakeCredit (Instagram)
He is producing the adaptation with wife Meghan Markle (Getty Images)While PR expert Mark Borkowski questioned why publishers, Penguin Random House, would sell the rights of the novel - which sold 37,000 in the week of it's release - to an inexperienced production company. He told the publication: “Although if it’s a best-seller, you wouldn’t be handing it to Harry and Meghan. There’s some amazing drama producers out there. Why would you give away a prize asset?"
Harry and Meghan’s Netflix deal is said to have banked them £80 million when it was signed in 2020. A spokesperson tried to calm rumours the pair’s deal had collapsed earlier this year.
Prince Harry was 12 when his mother, Lady Diana, died in a car crash in 1997 (Getty Images)They said in June: "The bond with Archewell Productions is one we deeply value. Harry & Meghan launched as Netflix's most spectacular documentary debut to date. Our exciting journey with them isn't ending anytime soon. We're currently collaborating on numerous projects, including the much-anticipated documentary series Heart of Invictus." The Heart of Invictus series is due to air on the streaming service this month.
Meanwhile, the pair lost their Spotify deal - worth a reported £18 million - in June. The axing of their deal generated embarrassing headlines for the pair, as Spotify bosses branded the couple ‘grifters’ and ‘talentless’.