Meghan Markle’s Animated Series pearl is the latest victim of Netflix cutbacks as the streamer aims to rebuild after falling stock and subscribers.
The series was announced last year as the first animated project from Archewell Productions – the company set up at Netflix by the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry to create scripted series, docuseries, documentaries, feature films and children’s programs. Markle was set to serve as executive producer alongside filmmaker David Furnish.
“Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges,” said the former Combinations Markle said of the series, which was to revolve around a 12-year-old girl who finds inspiration in a variety of influential women throughout history.
“I am thrilled that Archewell Productions, in partnership with the powerful platform of Netflix and these incredible producers, brings you together this new animated series, which celebrates extraordinary women throughout history,” continued Markle.
According Deadlinethe streamer remains optimistic about Archewell’s other ongoing projects, including the upcoming documentary series Heart of Invictus. The multi-episode docuseries will spotlight a cast of extraordinary Invictus Games competitors from around the world, presenting powerful stories of resilience and hope.
The news comes a week after Netflix dropped two other children’s animated series currently in production. Chris Nee (Ada Twist, scientist) Dino Daycare and Jaydeep Hasrajani (The Fungi!) action-adventure series Benefits and curses both received the chop.
Last month, Netflix revealed it had lost 200,000 subscribers in the first three months of this year and expected some two million more users to drop the service over the next three months. This sent shares of the streamer plummeting, with $50 billion wiped off the company’s market value. A series of staff cuts have followed as Netflix continues its rebuild.