A six-part Prince documentary for Netflix directed by Ezra Edelman is “dead in the water” after representatives for the late artist’s estate claimed a first cut of the film was filled with “dramatic” factual inaccuracies and “sensationalized” renderings of certain events from his life, sources close to the situation tell Variety.
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Edelman, best known for the “O.J.: Made in America” documentary, has been quietly working on the film for four years and is said to be “devastated” by the impasse. The news was first reported by Puck .
While the deal for the documentary calls for a six-hour series, Edelman instead delivered nine hours, a violation of the agreement that presumably enabled the estate to withhold music rights. Although Netflix and Edelman maintain final cut of the film, a Prince documentary without his music would face daunting, if not insurmountable, creative and commercial obstacles.
The original deal for the documentary, which was never officially announced but reported exclusively by Variety in 2018, was made between Netflix and representatives of Comerica Bank, the interim executor for Prince’s estate. Edelman, who was enlisted to replace original director Ava DuVernay, was given extensive access to Prince’s archives and produced a cut of the film that was screened recently for insiders.
Details on the alleged inaccuracies were not clear, but an unnamed source insisted to Puck that “it’s not revelations of drug use or sexual stuff.” Instead, sources tells Variety that the estate felt strongly that certain events had been “sensationalized” and not properly fact-checked, and that those claims were met with opposition by Edelman. On the other hand, different sources told Puck and Variety that the issues were more about “control,” and the estate felt the documentary was not sufficiently positive.
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The Prince estate has been plagued by instability since the singer died in 2016 without leaving behind a will. However, its business efforts have gained traction since the estate moved out of probate in 2022 and was divided into two camps , with three of Prince’s six court-determined heirs previously represented by attorney and former Prince manager L. Londell McMillan on one side under Prince Legacy; and Primary Wave Music, which acquired the stakes of the other three heirs, on the other. While there has been leadership uncertainty, infighting and complicated legal battles every step of the way — including a lawsuit filed this year by McMillan and colleague Charles Spicer claiming that four of Prince’s relatives are wrongfully trying to seize control of the estate — the partnership has produced several recent projects, including a deluxe boxed set of Prince’s last blockbuster album, 1991’s “Diamonds and Pearls,” containing dozens of previously unreleased tracks, and several efforts related to the 40th anniversary of the “Purple Rain” album and film.
Considering their past differences, it is notable that both camps in the estate had a similar reaction to the documentary’s initial cut, although a willingness by all parties to compromise has been suggested.
Reps for Netflix, McMillan, Primary Wave and CAA, which represents Edelman, declined or did not respond to Variety ’s requests for comment.
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