Harry and Meghan: the movie
Someone had better cancel the Queen’s Netflix subscription
Getting into the showbiz big leagues is much like winning a game of Bingo: the more boxes you dab, the more successful you’ll be. And by the looks of things, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are filling up their ticket fast. We’ve already had the no-holds-barred Oprah interview, the multimillion-dollar Netflix deal, the equally lucrative Spotify deal, and – of course – their tell-all book Finding Freedom (which they’ve admitted they were involved with via a third party). But, according to insiders, all that is small fry compared to the couple’s latest grand plan: a sweeping Hollywood biopic. Guys, prepare yourselves for Megxit: The Movie.
“This would be Harry and Meghan’s trump card, and the money that’s being thrown around is staggering,” says an insider close to the couple, who earlier this month sparked a global frenzy after that tell-all chat with Oprah Winfrey. “The demand is potentially so huge, it could shatter every box-office figure imaginable. Of course, Netflix will have first refusal on any project they come up with, but that won’t stop them listening to offers from other studios. They’re in a unique position, where they really don’t need to court the big Hollywood players – they know the offers will come to them because they really are the biggest deal in Hollywood right now, and with global appeal.”
Just 15 months ago, Harry and Meghan said they were stepping away from their senior royal duties to live a more private life away from media intrusion – but their lives since then haven’t quite followed that trajectory. Not only have they signed the streaming deals (believed to be worth over $150m), they’ve also moved to California, the hub of celebrity life, and – as the Oprah chat proved – they have little intention of keeping quiet. The couple have already been criticised for working with Netflix, whose flagship show The Crown is known for its
controversial portrayal of the royals – especially Harry’s parents Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Earlier this month, Harry defended the series, arguing, “It gives you a rough idea about that [royal] lifestyle.” But making a movie would take things to a whole new level, especially if it takes the same sort of creative licence to amp up the drama. “One idea that’s being floated around is that they’ll be exec producers overseeing an A-list cast,” we’re told. “But there’s even talk that Meghan could star in the movie herself. If the project ever gets off the ground, they’ve been told they can have complete creative control, overseeing the script and picking their own team, too.”
The source adds, “The likelihood is that they won’t take anyone up on these offers right now – at least until things have calmed down with Harry’s family after the fallout from the Oprah interview – but it’s a powerful weapon to have in their back pocket.”
So, while we might have to wait a bit for Megxit: The Movie, rest assured, the couple have been diversifying their CVS. Last week, it was revealed that Harry had taken two new jobs: one at the Aspen Institute, which aims to “fight misinformation” in the digital world, and the other as Chief Impact Officer at new start-up Betterup, which would see him “lift up critical dialogues around mental health”.
Can’t wait to see his first day at work in the movie. n
‘They can have complete creative control’