Prince Harry, Meghan Markle plan ‘juicy’ Netflix film after ‘$1.5m’ lawsuit fail

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly planning a ‘feature-length’ film filled with palace intrigue, and inspired by Prince Andrew.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly planning their next Netflix project inspired by Prince Andrew’s disastrous BBC interview.

After Netflix revealed the feature film Scoop, starring Rufus Sewell and Gillian Anderson, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex want to tell their own story filled with “juicy stuff” from behind closed doors.

Sources close to the couple told Closer magazine they were “obviously happy” with their payday from their docuseries Harry & Meghan and were “keen” for another project, but that Netflix had no interest in documentaries or children’s TV shows.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Frogmore cottage. The couple are reportedly planning the “juicy stuff” for their next project. Picture: Netflix

The new bid for movie stardom comes after it was revealed Prince Harry could be almost $A1.5 million in the hole after a UK High Court threw out his bid to turn the Met Police officers into “bodyguards for the wealthy”.

Figures revealed in a Freedom of Information request show taxpayers have so far footed a bill of £304,881 ($A576,500) on government legal costs, general counsel, and court fees, according to The Sun.

Prince Harry’s own legal fees, meanwhile, are estimated at about £500,000 ($A945,500), according to The Daily Mail, bringing the total bill of his high court adventure to more than £800,000, or about $A1.5 million.

The source added that Prince Harry and Ms Markle would “no doubt get a handsome payday” for a big-screen feature film about what happened in the palace, but that they planned to “wait and see” how Scoop is received by the public.

“There are a lot of nuances from their story that they feel are still missing after the documentary and Harry’s book,” a source tells Closer magazine.

“Meghan is really pushing for it to happen, while Harry wants to treat more carefully – but they are entertaining the idea and their team are talking about the kind of money they would want for the rights to their story.”

If Netflix gives the project a green light, Prince Harry and Ms Markle will likely be portrayed by actors as Prince Andrew is in Scoop.

Prince Andrew is being portrayed by actor Sewell, who played the villainous Count Adhemar in the 2001 Heath Ledger classic, A Knight’s Tale.

Prince Andrew in the BBC interview that inspired feature film Scoop, which has inspired Harry and Meghan. Picture: Supplied

Anderson, who portrayed Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Crown, will take on the role of Newsnight’s former lead presenter, Emily Maitlis, while Billie Piper, best known for hit single Honey to the B and Doctor Who, will star as Sam McAlister, the Newsnight producer who booked the interview.

Billed as an investigative drama, the film is based on the memoir by McAlister, Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews.

Prince Andrew’s former private secretary, Amanda Thirsk, will be played by Keeley Hawes, who recently started in Rebecca alongside Armie Hammer.

Actor Rufus Sewell will play Prince Andrew in Scoop. Who will play Prince Harry in a Netflix adaptation? Picture: AP Photo

Gillian Anderson will play Newsnight’s former lead presenter, Emily Maitlis. Who will play Meghan Markle in an adaptation? Picture: AFP

Directed by Philip Martin, Netflix says Scoop will give viewers “the inside track on the women that broke through the Buckingham Palace establishment to secure the scoop of the decade that led to the catastrophic fall from grace of the queen’s ‘favourite son”.

From “navigating Palace vetoes, to breaking through to Prince Andrew’s inner circle, the high-stakes negotiations and intensity of rehearsal — to the jaw-dropping interview itself”, the film’s logline says.

While it’s promoted as a “backstage pass” to Buckingham Palace and the BBC as the two institutions clash, Prince Andrew’s 2019 Newsnight interview is already one of the most analysed moments in television history.

Scoop will tell the story of Prince Andrew’s interview on BBC, where he denied claims of misconduct. Picture: Supplied

The film of the BBC Interview will be produced by Hilary Salmon and Radford Neville for The Lighthouse Film & Television, with Sanjay Singhal for Voltage TV.

Martin, who directed The Crown, said in a publicity statement from Netflix that he’s “thrilled” to tell the story of power and privilege.

“ I want to put the audience inside the breathtaking sequence of events that led to the interview with Prince Andrew — to tell a story about a search for answers, in a world of speculation and varying recollections,” he said.

“It’s a film about power, privilege and differing perspectives and how — whether in glittering palaces or hi-tech newsrooms — we judge what’s true.”