Netflix Shelves Prince Documentary Following Estate Dispute
Netflix has shelved a nine-hour documentary on Prince due to disputes with his estate, which will now pursue a new documentary featuring exclusive content from his archive.
A long-awaited nine-hour documentary on Prince has been shelved by Netflix.
Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Ezra Edelman, the project has reportedly been canned following tensions with the late 'Purple Rain' singer's estate, with both the estate and the streamer confirming in a joint statement on Friday that they would be moving in a different direction.
The statement read: "The Prince Estate and Netflix have come to a mutual agreement that will allow the estate to develop and produce a new documentary featuring exclusive content from Prince's archive. As a result, the Netflix documentary will not be released."
Filmmaker Ezra, 50, had been working on the project since 2019 after being approached by Netflix. According to The New York Times, the agreement granted him and Netflix final cut, while the estate retained rights to review the film for factual accuracy.
The estate was shown a cut of the documentary in 2023 and responded with a 17-page list of requested changes, according to attorney L Londell McMillan, one of the estate's administrators.
While Ezra agreed to some changes, he declined others.
New York Times culture reporter Sasha Weiss, who attended a private screening of the film, described the documentary as a "cursed masterpiece" and reported that it provided an in-depth exploration of Prince's music, career, and personal life, including aspects he had kept private before his death in 2016 at the age of 57.
The documentary included interviews with more than 70 people and showcased never-before-seen footage from Prince's vault.
Among the topics covered were the loss of Prince's infant son with his ex-wife Mayte Garcia, his difficult childhood, and allegations of physical abuse from former partners.
According to The New York Times, one scene featured singer Jill Jones recounting an incident in 1984 in which she claimed the musician had punched her repeatedly.
A report from Variety in July suggested the project was already "dead in the water" following the screening, with estate representatives claiming it was factually inaccurate and "sensationalised".
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