Meghan Markle and Prince Harry accused of ripping off latest Netflix idea
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are embroiled in another Netflix controversy over their plans for a “feminist” prequel to a classic novel.
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been accused of ripping off their latest Netflix idea from a British broadcaster.
According to The Sun, their “feminist” prequel to Charles Dickens’ classic novel, Great Expectations, is almost identical to a BBC adaptation made in 2015.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly want to create a version focused on the character of Miss Havisham, a wealthy spinster who wears her wedding dress evermore after she is jilted at the altar and lives in the rotting garment, along with her decaying wedding cake.
It is one of the several ideas Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been pitching after losing an £18 million (A$34m) podcast contract with Spotify.
But critics have called the idea hardly groundbreaking as multiple adaptations have already focused on Miss Havisham’s character.
Most recently, Olivia Colman, who is known for playing Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, played Miss Havisham in a 2023 BBC series. She has also been portrayed by Gillian Anderson in a 2011 BBC series, and by Helena Bonham Carter in a 2012 film.
In the Dickens tale, Miss Havisham lives with her adopted daughter, Estella, who she teaches to torment men with her beauty as revenge against the man who left her at the altar.
Havisham encourages the book’s hero Pip, a foundling, to fall in love with Estella – before making sure she breaks his heart.
Later in the novel she begs Pip for forgiveness after Estella shuns him to marry the abusive Bentley Drummley.
Her final words, before she dies after her wedding dress catches alight, are an apology to Estella.
Prince Harry and Meghan are said to still be developing a proposal for the Netflix show, which has the working title of Bad Manners.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the royals’ version of the beloved story would see Miss Havisham cast as a “strong woman living in a patriarchal society.”
But Dr Emily Bell, an English professor and editor of The Dickensian, the journal of the prestigious Dickens Fellowship, has claimed yet another “rehash” of Miss Havisham’s life “isn’t feminist”.
She told MailOnline: “Making her a ‘strong woman living in a patriarchal society’ seems to invite us to watch a strong woman get broken, without what Dickens gives us: a sense that things can be righted, even if in only small ways and only for the next generation, at the end.”
Prince Harry and Meghan reportedly signed an £85 million (A$162m) deal with Netflix in 2020.
And the couple have allegedly been told to come up with more must-watch shows if they want to be paid £40 million (A$76m) in outstanding fees.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had pitched numerous other ideas for Netflix shows, including an Emily In Paris-type tale but with a man as the protagonist, and a family-friendly TV show about gay characters similar to Heartstoppers, according to the WSJ.
While the royal couple’s six-part soul-baring series was Netflix’s most-viewed documentary, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are believed to have been paid only half of their reported £81 million contract by the streaming giant.
And they will get the rest only if they produce content of real interest, an industry source has revealed.
The source told The Sun that Netflix is happy with the viewing figures for the couple’s Harry & Meghan series but if no suitable follow-ups can be greenlit, the outstanding cash will not be handed over, it is claimed.
It comes as the Archewell company’s £18 million deal with Spotify was ended by mutual agreement after Meghan, 41, produced only 13 broadcasts in two-and-a half years.
And Bloomberg recently reported that Prince Harry, 38, had wanted to interview Russian president Vladimir Putin and former US president Donald Trump for Spotify.
And The Guardian reported Jeremy Zimmer, chief executive of the United Talent Agency, mentioned the collapse of the deal during an advertising festival in Cannes, saying “Turns out Meghan Markle was not a great audio talent, or necessarily any kind of talent. And, you know, just because you’re famous doesn’t make you great at something.”
In the wake of the Spotify deal coming to an end, there is speculation around how the Netflix partnership could pan out.
The industry source said of the Netflix arrangement: “There’s no question of a headline-grabbing, public parting of the way.
“Netflix was pleased to sign Harry and Meghan and is looking for some great ideas going forward.
“But the remainder of the deal relies on them producing those good ideas. The deal’s continually under review which is normal for ones of this magnitude.”
Last week The Sun on Sunday quoted a Netflix insider claiming “the lemon has been fully squeezed”.
Prince Harry’s series Heart of Invictus about the Olympic-style games he started for wounded and disabled ex-service members is due to air in August.
But Meghan’s animated series Pearl, about a girl inspired by historical female figures, was dropped.
A Netflix spokesman told Entertainment Tonight: “We value our partnership with Archewell Productions.
“Harry and Meghan was Netflix’s biggest documentary debut ever, and we’ll continue to work together on a number of projects, including the upcoming documentary series Heart of Invictus.”
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