The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are moving into film production, with reports that they have purchased the screen rights for a bestselling romantic novel.
The UK’s Sun newspaper reports that Harry and Meghan will produce the film version of a Canadian author’s book, with a story that bears more than a passing resemblance to their own lives.
This venture marks a change of direction after their forays into documentary-making, and both of them publishing books. It will form part of their deal with Netflix, worth a reported $100million.
Carley Fortune’s Meet Me at the Lake – published in May of this year – tells the story of a couple who meet in their thirties, and deals with themes of childhood trauma, including losing a parent in a car crash, mental health challenges and post-natal depression.
It is set near Toronto, where Meghan was living when she began her relationship with Harry, during her time working on legal drama Suits.
Production on the drama will face the same challenges as for every other filmmaker in Hollywood, namely that both writers and actors are on strike.
The Sun quotes an ‘insider’ revealing: “The themes gripped the couple and it was chosen for their first adaptation with Netflix.” The newspaper estimates the rights for the book – which sold 37,000 copies in its first week of release and spent two weeks in the New York Times top ten list – could have cost the couple’s production company an estimated $3.8m.
The book’s publisher, Penguin Random House, previously published Harry’s memoir Spare. It is Fortune’s second novel.
If successful, the project will be a boost to the couple’s partnership with Netflix, reported to be under threat despite the success of last year’s record-breaking documentary series detailing their frustrations with royal life. Harry’s Heart of Invictus documentary is also set for release this month.