From Duchess to producer! Meghan Markle has found a new job after she and her husband, Prince Harry, announced they were stepping down from their positions as senior royals and relocated to California.
The royal couple’s production house, Archewell Productions, announced on Wednesday, July 14, that the Duchess of Sussex, 39, will executive produce a new animated series for Netflix.
The original series, which is currently in development for the streaming platform, is tentatively titled Pearl and follows a young girl’s adventures. According to a press release, the show is billed as a family series that centers around the excursions of a 12-year-old girl, who is inspired by a variety of influential women from history.
“Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges,” the Archewell Productions cofounder said via a statement. “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.”
The Bench author serves as the creator and an executive producer of the new series. Other executive producers for the program include Furnish (Rocketman), Carolyn Soper (Sherlock Gnomes), Liz Garbus (I’ll Be Gone in the Dark), Dan Cogan (Icarus) and showrunner Amanda Rynda (DC Super Hero Girls).
“I am delighted that we are finally able to announce this exciting animated series,” Furnish, 58, said in a statement. “Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, and I are deeply passionate about bringing the inspirational and positive stories of extraordinary women from around the world to a global audience of all ages. The team collaborating on the series are first class, and Netflix are the perfect partner.”
Pearl is Archewell Productions’ first animated series. The production company previously announced in April 2021 that they are also developing a docuseries entitled Heart of Invictus in partnership with The Invictus Games Foundation to showcase powerful stories of resilience and hope from participants preparing for the Invictus Games The Hague 2020, which is now set to take place in 2022.
“Since the very first Invictus Games back in 2014, we knew that each competitor would contribute in their own exceptional way to a mosaic of resilience, determination and resolve,” Prince Harry, 36, said in a statement to Us Weekly at the time. “This series will give communities around the world a window into the moving and uplifting stories of these competitors on their path to the Netherlands next year. As Archewell Productions’ first series with Netflix, in partnership with the Invictus Games Foundation, I couldn’t be more excited for the journey ahead or prouder of the Invictus community for continuously inspiring global healing, human potential and continued service.”
The royal couple signed an overall deal with Netflix in September 2020. “Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope,” the pair said in a statement at the time. “As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us. … [Netflix’s] unprecedented reach will help us share impactful content that unlocks action.”
