ALISON BOSHOFF: The behind the scenes dramas of Harry and Meghan's Netflix ... trends now
The publicity blurb describes it as 'unprecedented', and certainly all the indications are that the forthcoming six-part Harry & Meghan conflagration on Netflix will make the bombshells of that Oprah interview look like a little local difficulty.
Over six beautifully lit and shot and slickly edited hours, we will have Harry and Meghan speaking at length about the paradise they have found in California, and in each other.
Alongside that heart-warming love story will be a stark reckoning for those who are deemed to have been racist, and those whom Prince Harry believes endangered his wife, inside and outside the palace.
His family, who caused him to quit what he refers to snippily as 'my previous job', can expect a frank assessment of their failures in his eyes, too.
Netflix confirms that backing him up will be 'family and friends' who will talk about the impact of 'Megxit' and the run-up to it — and why they 'had' to go.
It's predicted that Meghan's mother, Doria, will be the one and only family member on camera, making her media debut.
The publicity blurb describes it as 'unprecedented', and certainly all the indications are that the forthcoming six-part Harry & Meghan conflagration on Netflix will make the bombshells of that Oprah interview look like a little local difficulty
Meghan, famously, is not on speaking terms with anyone else in her family — and it's hard to imagine that any of Harry's family will be tripping over themselves to take part.
There's speculation that British Vogue editor Edward Enninful will speak about her time in the UK.
There's talk, too, about a role for Meghan's long-time best pal Markus Anderson, who was there when their romance flourished and accorded a prime seat at the wedding. Yesterday, friends of Anderson said they would be surprised if the famously discreet Soho House executive had been lured into saying a word — but then, if he was given the nod by Meghan, perhaps those scruples could be overcome.
One source familiar with the dramas behind the scenes say 'nothing will be the quite same after it' — not least Harry's once-warm relationship with Netflix boss, Ted Sarandos.
Sources say that bromance is in ashes after two years of building tension over the what, how and when of the Sussexes' 'tell-all.'
One huge cause of rows was the fact Netflix had paid top dollar (and beyond) for the couple, and then found their stars apparently 'slow' and 'uncooperative'.
Particular fury was unleashed when the couple apparently wanted to delay the painstakingly edited show yet again after the Queen's death in September.
Alongside a heart-warming love story will be a stark reckoning for those who are deemed to have been racist, and those whom Prince Harry believes endangered his wife, inside and outside the palace. Pictured: a scene from the trailer, released yesterday
Sarandos — by all accounts a decent man who is noted in Hollywood for his even temper — is said to have 'hit the roof' at the suggestion Netflix might put the show out at some point in early 2023.
Friends of the couple were so sure they had won the argument that they leaked, to the website Deadline, that Netflix had 'blinked first' and given in to their demands.
In reality, that didn't happen.
Instead, Sarandos is said to have insisted that the show go out in December, on the heels of the hit Netflix drama series The Crown.
Harry's memoir, Spare, will be published on January 10. Given the official Netflix trailer had 105,000 dislikes and 15,000 likes on YouTube as of yesterday, it will be interesting to see how the series is received when it airs next Thursday.
Matters are now so fraught that there is speculation from well-placed sources that the £88 million deal between Netflix and Harry and Meghan may be quietly dismantled in the New Year.
Where this might leave the couple financially is an open question, as deals such as theirs typically involve a small sum of money upfront, with the rest to come when shows go into production.
Netflix confirms that backing him up will be 'family and friends' who will talk about the impact of 'Megxit' and the run-up to it — and why they 'had' to go. Pictured: a scene from the trailer
Someone who is familiar with the dramas, says: 'Netflix had to bully them into screening it this year — they wanted to hold back till next year. 'The problem was that they got nervous after the [Queen's] funeral about how it would all play out. I heard they also wanted to edit heaps out and it was like, 'nope'.'
That may explain why Meghan distanced herself from the show, saying it tells 'our story through someone else's lens' in an interview with Variety magazine in October.
She added: 'It's nice to be able to trust someone with our story — a seasoned director whose work I have long admired — even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it.'
A Netflix spokesman did not deny the conflicts, but said: 'We value our partnership with Archewell Productions and are excited to share Harry & Meghan, the series, with the world.
'We continue to work together on a number of projects, including Heart Of Invictus.'
Sarandos was not the only one to find the show a serious headache behind the scenes.
Original director Garrett Bradley — handpicked by Meghan — was replaced by Liz Garbus in 2021 after filming had started.
I'm told that Bradley, an award-winning talent who produced an exceptional documentary about the tennis player Naomi Osaka, felt unable to continue.
