Netflix has shelved a Prince docuseries directed by Ezra Edelman; in its place, a new, estate-approved documentary has been announced.
Edelman’s docuseries had been in the works for five years, and was slated to have a nine-hour runtime across six parts. Featuring footage from Prince’s archive, it was to include interviews with many of his friends, collaborators, business partners, and lovers. But not all of the project painted him in a good light — according to a New York Times Magazine story from last year, the series described alleged physical and emotional abuse committed by the artist.
Originally, Edelman’s film was approved by the Prince estate when it was under different representation (a circumstance that arose out of his absence of a will). But since the estate changed hands in 2022, there had been an effort to pull the plug on the project. The aforementioned New York Times Magazine article reported that the estate felt the film “misrepresented” Prince, triggering a “protracted battle” with Netflix.
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Now, it seems that battle has ended in victory for the estate — this week, they issued a joint statement with Netflix saying, “The Prince Estate and Netflix have come to a mutual agreement that will allow the estate to develop and produce a new documentary featuring exclusive content from Prince’s archive. As a result, the Netflix documentary will not be released.”
Further details on this “new documentary” are unknown at this time, but the estate did share a tweet on Thursday with the caption, “The Vault Has Been Freed,” and a quote from the artist, reading, “Despite everything, no one can dictate who you are to other people.”
Among the controversial content included in the docuseries by Edelman (who previously directed O.J.: Made in America) were interviews allegedly describing everything from controlling behavior to physical violence, manipulation, the failure to properly support his then-wife Mayte Garcia after the death of their child, and more.
Edelman’s documentary also included positive remembrances of Prince, and sought to tell his story in a comprehensive way, as difficult a task as it was. Speaking to New York Times Magazine, Edelman lamented, “How can you tell the truth about someone who, when you’re talking to people, they all had different things to say?”
The estate-approved documentary isn’t the only Prince film on the way; Ryan Coogler is attached as a producer for a jukebox musical movie featuring the late artist’s music. Meanwhile, this past weekend, the musician was posthumously awarded a lifetime achievement award from the Grammys.
The Vault Has Been Freed. #FREE pic.twitter.com/uvAbzEBbTc
— Prince (@prince) February 6, 2025
