Harry and Meghan’s £2million Netflix romance film ‘on verge of being scrapped’

When the Sussexes announced the adaptation of Meet Me at the Lake, author Fortune expressed her excitement online, writing that she was “so thrilled” to be collaborating with Harry and Meghan and Netflix.

She added that she couldn’t imagine a “more perfect partnership” to bring her characters to the screen.

At the time, comparisons were made between the book’s storyline and the couple’s own relationship, with both featuring whirlwind romances and a character grieving the loss of a parent in a car crash.

But a Hollywood insider quoted by the New York Post cast doubt on the project’s future: “By this point, you would have thought they would have got a director on board and a cast. So, what is the delay?

“And when you make something for Netflix, it takes a long time for it to actually hit the streamer — there is so much to do in post production, to make sure it’s ready for every country. If the deal is up this year, then when is this film going to be made?”

The insider also raised questions about another possible Archewell venture — a documentary about Africa — saying: “What’s the betting that neither of these projects will see the light of day?”

The stalled project follows the end of Meghan's latest podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, which released only 11 episodes. Her previous audio series, Archetypes, was not renewed for a second season by Spotify.

The reports emerge as the Sussexes’ £74 million Netflix deal nears its expiration in September.

While more projects are thought to be in the works between the couple’s Archewell Productions and Netflix, a source quoted by the Mail claimed the streaming giant is “counting down the days” until the partnership ends, following the underperformance of Meghan’s lifestyle series With Love, Meghan.

The show, which premiered in March, ranked 383rd on Netflix, drawing just 5.3 million views.

According to Variety, this figure was “very low.” A second season of the show has already been filmed and is expected to air later this year.

A Netflix source said: “This deal is dead. She (Meghan) had everything going for her — name, platform, press — and the numbers were dismal.

“They’re just waiting for the credits to roll. They’re letting it expire without drama. There’s no appetite for anything new.”

Despite these setbacks, Harry and Meghan’s 2022 documentary Harry & Meghan remains their most successful Netflix project.

It told the story of their romance and royal departure and drew 81.5 million viewing hours, making it the most-watched documentary premiere in Netflix history.

The insider concluded: “Let’s be honest... Netflix got what they really wanted out of the Sussexes — their documentary.”

GB News has contacted representatives for the Sussexes and Carley Fortune for comment.