Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's ‘Meet Me at the Lake' movie still has no director or cast
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced back in August 2023 that they were producing a film adaptation of Carley Fortune's hit romance novel, Meet Me at the Lake for the streamer.
But Page Six reports Archewell productions has yet to hire a director or come anywhere close to picking a cast.
Netflix is believed to have paid out around $US3 million for the rights to the book for the duo to produce, though it's understood little has been done to get the project moving.
'By this point, you would have thought they would have got a director on board and a cast. So what is the delay?' asked a Hollywood source.
'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 couple were also working on a documentary set in Africa — albeit without Harry, 40, or Markle, 43, appearing. This, too, may be on the back burner.
'What's the betting that neither of these projects will see the light of day?' said a source in the know.
It was revealed this week the Sussexes' Netflix deal will end this year, and the couple may move to a first-look contract, like President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle's production company, Higher Ground, has. This week, sources were quick to tell us, however, that there will be more TV shows from the renegade royals.
We have reached out to Sussex reps.
Netflix has also been working with Markle on her As Ever range which includes her rosé wine, jams, tea and honey. Her show, With Love, Meghan, will return for season 2 in September, so that production partnership doesn't seem to be going anywhere.
The Netflix cash has been reported to be $100 million, although it's believed to be closer to $20 million. It was, indeed, a big chunk of the Sussexes' fortune.
So far, their biggest Netflix success has been Harry & Meghan, which debuted in December 2022 with 81.55 million hours viewed — making it the highest viewed documentary premiere for the streaming platform.
'Let's be honest … Netflix got what they really wanted out of the Sussexes — their documentary,' said the source in the know.
Meanwhile, the docu-series Polo, which was released last December and executive-produced by Harry and Markle, was watched by 500,000 viewers and ranked at 3,436 on the Netflix ratings chart.
Last week, the streamer announced that Markle's lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, was at No. 383 in its semi-annual report, 'What We Watched', with a total of 5.3 million views since its March 4 debut.
It was even beaten by re-runs of Markle's old show, Suits.
Despite this, an insider pointed out that With Love, Meghan was actually in the top 5 per cent of Netflix shows — and had outperformed other leading 'lifestyle' shows such as The Great British Baking Show, two seasons of Chef's Table and Season 9 of Queer Eye.
However, the Hollywood insider noted that Netflix likely expected the show to fare better given the amount of promotion put into it.
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Sydney Morning Herald
29 minutes ago
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The Age
29 minutes ago
- The Age
This Netflix drama is up for seven Logies on Sunday, but mystery surrounds its second season
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Perth Now
an hour ago
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Ellen DeGeneres accused by comic Adam Carolla of leaving her former TV chat show staff ‘scared'
Ellen DeGeneres has been accused by comic Adam Carolla of leaving her former TV chat show staff 'scared'. The 67-year-old comedian's career on the small screen has come to an end after she was branded the 'Queen of Mean' over her alleged behaviour behind the camera towards her workers. Now comic Adam, 61, has blasted the backstage atmosphere on The Ellen DeGeneres Show as terrifyingly toxic. He has spoken out after appearing on the series as a guest in 2012, and has now recalled how even producers seemed paralysed by fear around the host. Adam made his accusations during an appearance on the After Party show with Emily Dashinsky, sharing details of his experience with Ellen. He said a segment producer repeatedly warned him not to reference meat ahead of his on-air chat with the comic – who was vegan at the time. Adam said: '(I thought) this (producer) guy's scared to death. He came back 20 minutes later right before I went out, and he's like, 'OK, but don't talk about beef or meat or anything'. "I was like, 'Oh, this guy's scared to death. This guy's scared'." Adam also recounted the show's environment felt markedly different from other talk shows. He contrasted Ellen's set with programmes hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and Jay Leno, where he found staff more at ease and professional. Adam went on: 'Ellen's show, people were scared – real scared.' He continued: 'She's not a nice person at all. Everyone was scared of her, which means she's mean... she's not gonna be mean to me, I'm a guest on the show, right? I wouldn't know it from my exchanges, I would know it from how her staff was cowering'. Adam's revelations come amid a long‑standing debate over Ellen's alleged workplace culture. In 2020, a BuzzFeed News investigation detailed allegations of racism, intimidation and fear on the set of the host's daytime talk show, leading to an internal inquiry and the departure of several top producers. The show ended in 2022 after nearly two decades on air. Ellen responded publicly in her 2024 Netflix special For Your Approval, reflecting on being labelled 'mean' and describing her journey toward self‑acceptance. She said: 'After a lifetime of caring, I just can't anymore. So I don't.' Ellen added she took pride in who she had become four years on from the scandal. Her executive producers — Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner — issued a statement pledging to improve workplace culture, emphasising their responsibility over daily operations on the show. They contended the host's image did not align with the internal environment experienced by some staffers.
