Pearl, the working title for the Markle-created show, has been officially canceled, Kossyderrickent reported Sunday.
The show, which was created by the Duchess of Sussex through Archewell Productions, was still only in the development stage.
Markle and Prince Harry established Archewell Productions in autumn 2020 in an effort to create scripted series, docuseries, documentaries, features and children’s programming. Pearl was expected to be the first animated series created by the production company.
Despite dropping Pearl, insiders claim Netflix remains optimistic about the Archewell deal and has a number of projects planned, including a documentary series called Heart of Invictus, which follows the recent Invictus Games.
Netflix has made several cuts in recent days, including dropping two other children’s shows and firing staff.
Last week, the streaming service scratched Dino Daycare, which was created by Jeff King, and the South Asian-inspired adventure Boons and Curses. Both shows were already in production.
Sources familiar with the cancellations told Deadline that Netflix had warned producers to take projects still in the development stage elsewhere.
It is unclear if they offered Archewell Productions similar advice.
The streaming giant shelled out a $100million in the deal with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in September 2020.
As of yet, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are yet to produce any published content for the streaming giant. But the company has pinned hopes that their upcoming series documenting the recent Invictus Games will prove value for the money.
Netflix scratched two other kids animated series last week that were in production — Dino Daycare from Ada Twist, Scientist executive producer Chris Nee, and the South Asian-inspired adventure Boons and Curses.
Word in town is that even before recent events, Netflix had been telling producers to take some development projects elsewhere, after those producers had been given indication they were priorities. Clearly, Netflix’s inordinately high content spend is being reevaluated. Many have felt that the Netflix “movie a week” mantra was an overreach, for instance. While Netflix felt pressure to generate originals to bolster its library as studios cut back on licensing titles as they started their own rival streaming services, there is reason that generating that much content has never been done before. It is just unreasonable to expect its execs to manage that many projects, and have enough of them turn out to be memorable. Expect the Netflix model to evolve; quality control and selectivity is actually a virtue for a mature streaming service.
Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges,” Markle announced in a statement. “I’m thrilled that Archewell Productions, partnered with the powerhouse platform of Netflix and these incredible producers will together bring you this new animated series, which celebrates extraordinary women throughout history.”
It’s noted that Netflix has been canceling and ending production on several titles, including two children’s animated shows that were also in production, “Dino Daycare” and “Boons and Curses.” “Pearl” was still in the development stage at the time it was axed.
There are still productions in development from Archewell Productions, including the upcoming documentary “Heart of Invictus,” which focuses on Harry’s Invictus Games and its athletes.
Markle will also remain busy. Her Spotify podcast, “Archetypes,” is set to premiere this summer.
A spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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