Rumblings around a Prince documentary date back to 2018. Initially, Deadline reported that Ava Duvernay was set to direct a multi-part documentary series about the late icon for Netflix. DuVernay departed the project in 2019 due to “creative differences.” Ezra Edelman, who won an Oscar for O.J.: Made In America, took over.
All for naught, it seems.
On Thursday, July 18, Variety reported that the six-part Prince Netflix documentary is “dead in the water.” According to the report, “Representatives for the late artist’s estate claimed a first cut of the film was filled with ‘dramatic’ factual inaccuracies and ‘sensationalized’ renderings of certain events from his life.” Additionally, the Netflix deal called for a six-hour series, but Edelman reportedly turned in nine hours, which is “a violation of the agreement that “presumably enabled the estate to withhold music rights.”
This Variety report echoes a Puck report from earlier this week — nearly verbatim — so it feels safe to say that the general public will never see the six-part Prince documentary series six years in the making. There is a very small sliver of hope, maybe?
“Although Netflix and Edelman maintain final cut of the film, a Prince documentary without his music would face daunting, if not insurmountable, creative and commercial obstacles,” Variety concluded.
Prince died on April 21, 2016 due to an opioid overdose. He was just 57 years old.