Prince Harry, Meghan and Netflix extend partnership for streaming programs
Archewell began collaborating with the streaming giant in 2020 and have produced a handful of documentary content, including the popular 'Harry & Meghan.' The Duchess of Sussex also developed a lifestyle brand, As Ever, in partnership with Netflix.
The collaboration has also produced the documentary series' 'Polo,' 'Heart of Invictus' and 'Live to Lead.'
'My husband and I feel inspired by our partners who work closely with us and our Archewell Productions team to create thoughtful content across genres that resonates globally, and celebrates our shared vision,' Meghan said in a statement.
The couple and Netflix also announced upcoming collaborations, including a second season of, 'With Love, Meghan,' a lifestyle and cooking show starring the duchess. The show will also receive a special holiday episode in December.
The show is Netflix's most-watched culinary show since its March release, according to the company. It ranked low compared to other releases in the first half of this year, with 5.3 million views, according to Netflix's semiannual report.
'Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within,' a documentary short film that centers on a small orphanage in Uganda's Masaka region, is also set to release this year. Archewell is also in production with Netflix on a feature adaptation of Carley Fortune's novel 'Meet Me at the Lake.' The drama 'follows a decade-spanning love story that begins with a chance encounter and a broken promise,' the statement read.
'Harry and Meghan are influential voices whose stories resonate with audiences everywhere. The response to their work speaks for itself,' Bela Bajaria, Netflix's chief content officer, said in a statement.
Their extended deal with Netflix is the latest in the couple's yearslong effort to develop business ventures in the United States. They had also penned a multiyear deal with Spotify in 2020 and produced a podcast, ' Archetypes, ' but cut ties with the company in 2023.
The couple have been detangling their lives from the British royal family and are living in California with their two young children.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
a minute ago
- USA Today
'With Love, Meghan' Season 2 trailer pokes fun at Prince Harry
Duchess Meghan is cooking up something new. Season 2 of the Duchess of Sussex's lifestyle show "With Love, Meghan" will hit Netflix on Aug. 26, the streamer has announced. A trailer for the new season released on Tuesday, Aug. 12, teased the next batch of guests set to join Duchess Meghan on her cooking and interview series. The season will feature Chrissy Teigen, Christina Tosi, Clare Smyth, Daniel Martin, David Chang, Heather Dorak, Jamie Kern Lima, Jay Shetty, José Andrés, Radhi Devlukia, Samin Nosrat and Tan France. "Meghan returns with a fun and heartwarming new season, welcoming celebrity chefs, talented artists, and beloved friends for hands-on adventures filled with laughter and discovery," Netflix's synopsis said. While the Season 2 trailer doesn't feature Prince Harry, he does get a mention when Duchess Meghan remarks that her husband doesn't like lobster. "And you married him?" José Andrés quips, getting a big laugh from Meghan. The first season of "With Love, Meghan" debuted in March to largely negative reviews from critics, who panned the show as "boring" and "vacuous." Inside Netflix's new major deal with Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan "So much of 'With Love, Meghan' is devoted to trying to gin up capital-M Meaning that Meghan seems to forget that the only reason anyone would do any of this — whether that's bake a cookie dappled with edible flowers or watch a lifestyle show — would be because it's fun," Daniel D'Addario wrote in a negative review for Variety, adding that "there isn't enough here to justify the running time, nor its star's belief we'll keep watching." But just days after the first season debuted in March, Netflix confirmed Season 2, which had already wrapped filming, was on the way. "With Love, Meghan" was released amid a partnership between Netflix and Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry. On Monday, Aug. 11, the couple's joint media venture, Archewell Productions, announced a multi-year extension for film and television projects with the streaming giant. The deal includes a new season of "With Love, Meghan" plus a holiday special for the show and a movie based on the romance book "Meet Me at the Lake." Duchess Meghan, authenticity and why she just can't win with new Netflix show "My husband and I feel inspired by our partners who work closely with us and our Archewell Productions team to create thoughtful content across genres that resonates globally, and celebrates our shared vision," Duchess Meghan said. Contributing: Anna Kaufman
Digital Trends
a minute ago
- Digital Trends
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: Why it's one of the best comic book movies ever
On August 13, 2010, moviegoers were introduced to director Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and cinema was never the same. Based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's acclaimed graphic novel series, this action-packed comedy film follows the titular musician as he tries to become a rock star while battling the seven evil exes of his new girlfriend, Ramona. Though the film bombed at the box office, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World received fantastic reviews, as well as several film awards and nominations. The movie has since achieved a massive cult following, which led to Netflix's 2023 animated series, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, with the original cast reprising their roles for the show. Recommended Videos 15 years later, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World remains one of the best comic book movies due to its spectacular ensemble cast, vibrant characters, wacky moments, clever writing, and pitch-perfect music. Edgar Wright's wacky direction Staying true to the film's source material, director Edgar Wright utilized a rich comic book/video game aesthetic to bring Scott Pilgrim's world to the big screen. Featuring animated sound effects, split-screen camera shots, giant monsters, and well-choreographed fight scenes, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World looks like a superhero comic book brought to life. Scott Pilgrim is one huge Easter egg hunt. The movie delivers many pop culture references and homages, particularly to the video games The Legend of Zelda and Sonic the Hedgehog, that add to the film's distinctive style. It even squeezed in a great Seinfeld homage for good measure. This all merges multiple forms of media into one transcendent film straight out of every gamer and comic book nerd's wildest fantasy. This is a perfect fit for Scott's story, as it seems like the audience is seeing the world from his point of view, making for a hilarious, mind-blowing action film unlike any other. Scott Pilgrim is a surprisingly mature story Beneath its video game-inspired narrative and over-the-top fights, Scott Pilgrim is a heartfelt, relatable tale about two flawed people overcoming their toxic nature and growing as human beings as they fall in love. Scott is forced to confront his selfish, inconsiderate actions toward others as he juggles dating two women at once. Ramona goes through a similar arc as she confronts her dark past, which manifests as the evil exes seeking vengeance for her mistreatment of them. You wouldn't normally root for characters like Scott and Ramona. They don't seem like they should be together. However, the film humanizes them as they grow from their mistakes and work toward fixing themselves. They are truly deserving of each other in the end. As the film so explicitly states, the story is less about battling for love and more about fighting for self-respect. The razor-sharp humor Wright crafts all the scenes and events in his films like one long dance. This applies to Scott Pilgrim's clever brand of comedy, with one incredible joke after another. This rapid-fire comedy predominantly consists of Scott's awkward antics, Wallace's witty one-liners, and the evil exes. Scott Pilgrim offers many ridiculous and hilarious gags, including Aubrey Plaza's censored dialogue and Scott's realization about bread. The film also brings plenty of laughs thanks to its several oddball characters, from the Bollywood dancing guy dressed like a pirate to the Will Arnett-esque action star to the dimwitted vegan with psychic powers. With so many wacky, fantastical elements, what makes them even funnier is the way Scott Pilgrim normalizes them all with ridiculous logic. For example, Ramona has the superhuman ability to travel through subspace, but with a deadpan expression, she brushes off something that Canada just doesn't have. What's even wilder is that characters could fight until one of them bursts into a pile of change, and no one would bat an eye. It's a world that could only exist in this movie. An incredible all-star cast Scott Pilgrim features a cast packed with stars, many of whom were still establishing themselves as modern Hollywood's best actors. These include Michael Cera (Superbad), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Star Wars: Ahsoka), Kieran Culkin (Succession), Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect), Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), Chris Evans (Captain America franchise), Brandon Routh (Superman Returns), Mae Whitman (Avatar: The Last Airbender), and Jason Schwartzman (Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse). Each member of this stellar cast brings something special to the table in Scott Pilgrim, bringing such life and variety to the protagonist's comic book world. Though not all of these characters have much screen time in this film, the actors make the most of it to deliver scene-stealing performances that make each of their characters iconic (this includes Young Neil). Outstanding music Music is a huge part of Scott Pilgrim's story, and Wright's film went above and beyond to give audiences killer tracks. On top of some classic tunes from Frank Black, The Bluetones, and The Rolling Stones, Scott Pilgrim's soundtrack featured terrific songs written for the film by Beck and Brian LeBarton. Scott's band, Sex Bob-Omb, delivered some head-banging songs that sound like they're from a real garage rock group. Their first jam session hooks the audience into the movie almost immediately. The cast even performed the music themselves, making the band even more spectacular. In addition, Brie Larson did a fabulous, hypnotic cover of Metric's Black Sheep, making for an unforgettable musical performance. While there have been several comic book movies over the past couple of decades, there is hardly a motion picture quite like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. It is probably the only movie that truly looks like a comic book and video game, invoking conventions from different media in an extravagant celebration of pop culture. With such a talented cast and director bringing such vibrant energy and sound to this film, there will hardly ever be a movie like Scott Pilgrim.
Forbes
2 minutes ago
- Forbes
‘Wednesday' Season 2 Draws Massive Viewership Numbers In First Week
Wednesday Season 2, Part 1, featuring the return of Jenna Ortega and director Tim Burton, not surprisingly, draws blockbuster viewership numbers on Netflix. Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and directed and executive produced by Burton, Wednesday Season 2 premiered on Wednesday, Aug. 6, with Part 1, which consists of four episodes. Part 2, featuring Episodes 5-8, will be released on Wednesday, Sept. 3. All eight episodes of Wednesday Season 1 were released on Nov. 23, 2022. To date, the first season of The Addams Family spinoff is No. 1 on Netflix's chart of the Top 10 most-viewed TV shows globally in the streamer's history with 252.1 million views, which equates to 1.718 billion viewing hours. Netflix reported on Tuesday that for the week of Aug. 4-10, Wednesday amassed 50 million views, which equates to 201.6 million hours viewed. By contrast, the No. 1 TV show globally on Netflix last week — the streaming platform's original series Untamed — had 12.2 million views, which translated into 59.6 million viewing hours for the week of July 25 to Aug. 3. What Is Wednesday, Season 2 About? The official summary for Wednesday Season 2 reads, 'Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) returns to prowl the Gothic halls of Nevermore Academy, where fresh foes and woes await. 'This season, Wednesday must navigate family, friends and old adversaries, propelling her into another year of delightfully dark and kooky mayhem. Armed with her signature razor-sharp wit and deadpan charm, Wednesday is also plunged into a new bone-chilling supernatural mystery.' Wednesday Season 2 features much more of the Addams family members Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Gomez (Luis Guzmán) and Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) — the latter of which joins Wednesday as a student at Nevermore Academy. In a Zoom conversation with creators and showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar before the release of Season 2, Part 1, Gough said the creative team was thrilled to examine the stories of the Addams Family members, who played smaller supporting roles in Season 1. 'We definitely wanted to bring in more of the Addams family for Season 2 and expand the stories for the other characters,' Gough said. 'Season 1 was 95% Wednesday because of budget constraints, and we couldn't tell the stories of these other characters outside of Wednesday. So I think for us, the success of the show gave us the ability to really expand the world of those characters and bring in the Addams Family.' The biggest difference between Wednesday Seasons 1 and 2 is the split schedule, which Gough said was a decision made by Netflix. Gough said that he and Millar were on board with the idea, though, since it gave them an opportunity to switch up their storytelling sensibilities for the second season. 'I think what it allowed us to do — which is something we wanted to do anyway — was change up the storytelling mystery,' Gough explained. 'We didn't want to want a cards down, 'You can't find out till the end of the eighth episode' whodunnit. We wanted it to feel complete in the first four. So, you have that and then it leads into something bigger. As you'll see in the end, all the cats are out of the bag.' Wednesday Season 2 also stars Steve Buscemi, Emma Myers, Joy Sunday, Hunter Doohan, Noah B. Taylor, Evie Templeton, Georgie Farmer, Moosa Mostafa, Billie Piper, Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo and Victor Dorobantu as Thing. This season's guest stars include Joanna Lumley, Thandiwe Newton, Jamie McShane, Haley Joel Osment, Heather Matarazzo, Joonas Suotamo, Fred Armisen and Christopher Lloyd. Wednesday Season 2, Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix. The streaming service has already announced that it has renewed Wednesday for a third season.
