Netflix‘s streak of bad news continues as the company pulls the plug on a project from one of its most highly-publicized deals. The streaming giant canceled Pearl, an animated series from Meghan Markle, before the children’s show even premiered, Deadline reports. Pearl was set to be the first animated series from Archewell Productions, Prince Harry and Meghan’s company.
According to Deadline, Pearl was shuttered while the show was still in its development stage. Its cancellation comes after Netflix also axed two animated children’s series on Friday: Dino Daycare and Boons and Curses. And kids shows aren’t the only ones feeling the sting of Netflix’s cutbacks; the streamer also announced the end of Steve Carell’s Space Force, as well as Raising Dion.
While Netflix did not share a specific reason for canceling Pearl, the move comes amidst a difficult quarter for the company, which recently experienced its first loss in subscribers in over a decade. Per Deadline, “Word in town is that even before recent events, Netflix had been telling producers to take some development projects elsewhere, after those producers had been given indication they were priorities.”
Pearl was first announced last summer. The series was set to focus on a 12-year-old girl who is inspired by female historical figures.
“Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges,” Meghan said in a statement at the time. “I’m thrilled that Archewell Productions, partnered with the powerhouse platform of Netflix and these incredible producers, will together bring you this new animated series, which celebrates extraordinary women throughout history. David Furnish and I have been eager to bring this special series to light, and I am delighted we are able to announce it today.”
While Pearl is no longer, Deadline reports that Meghan and Harry’s Netflix deal is still very much alive. Multiple projects from the royals are still in the works, including documentary series Heart of Invictus.
