Prince documentary canceled at Netflix, singer's estate to develop new project

Netflix volition nary longer merchandise a nine-hour documentary astir euphony icon Prince aft years of production. The precocious singer’s property volition make its ain film.

The completed documentary was directed by Oscar victor Ezra Edelman, champion known for “O.J.: Made successful America.” Edelman was granted unprecedented entree to Prince’s archives, dubbed “the vault” by his estate. The documentary, seen by lone a fistful of people, was reported by the New York Times Magazine to incorporate testimonies from the musician’s erstwhile girlfriends and others alleging carnal and affectional abuse.

“The Prince Estate and Netflix person travel to a communal statement that volition let the property to make and nutrient a caller documentary featuring exclusive contented from Prince’s archive,” Netflix and the property said successful a associated connection to The Times connected Friday. “As a result, the Netflix documentary volition not beryllium released.”

Representatives for Edelman did not instantly instrumentality The Times’ requests for comment.

On X, the property besides posted a video celebrating that the “vault” had been “freed.” “Despite everything, nary 1 tin dictate who you are to different people,” the video’s on-screen substance reads. “The information is, you are either present to enlighten oregon discourage.”

The documentary was said to see interviews with radical adjacent to Prince beyond his erstwhile girlfriends, including bandmates, dependable engineers, assistants, bodyguards, managers, puerility friends, record-company executives and 1 of his sisters, per the New York Times Magazine.

Variety reported successful July 2024 that aft much than 4 years of development, the property and the streamer were clashing implicit the estate’s assertion that the documentary “sensationalized” versions of the singer’s beingness events. The property besides alleged determination were “ ‘dramatic’ factual inaccuracies.”

The “Purple Rain” singer, who died from a fentanyl overdose successful 2016, did not person a will. His property was said to beryllium valued astatine astir $300 million astatine the clip of his death.

Determining the heirs of his property and however his luck would beryllium distributed and managed has turned into a agelong and analyzable ineligible saga. In 2022, the property changed medication to immoderate of his heirs, associates and the euphony steadfast Primary Wave.

Around the clip of this alteration is said to beryllium erstwhile the property starting pushing backmost against Edelman’s entree to “the vault” and the originative absorption of the doc.

Additional accusation connected the estate’s plans to make a abstracted documentary task were not instantly available.