Meghan Markle, Prince Harry announce their first Netflix project
The couple's Archewell Productions will produce a docuseries about The Invictus Games
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have announced their first project with Netflix which is said to focus on one of their favorite philanthropic endeavors.
In 2014, Prince Harry founded The Invictus Games, a Paralympics-style competition for wounded service personnel and veterans. On Tuesday, the organization announced that the couple’s Archewell Productions was producing a docuseries for Netflix on highlighting the event.
The project, which is going by the working title Heart of Invictus, will follow the journey that participating athletes go through as they prepare for the Invictus Games in The Hague, the Netherlands, which is currently 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 said in a statement. “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,” he added.
In addition to executive producing Heart of Invictus, the Duke of Sussex will also be making an on-camera appearance during the docuseries, which will be directed by Oscar-winning British director Orlando von Einsiedel and produced by Joanna Natasegara.
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“The multi-episode series will join the competitors as they train, and along the way reveal powerful stories of resilience and hope,” explained the project’s press release. “The series will also follow the organizers as they work to prepare for the Games, postponed until next Spring, and as they partner with each nation’s team to support their competitors over the coming year.”
As we previously reported, last year it was revealed that the couple had founded a production company and inked a multiyear deal with Netflix, which will allow them to produce documentaries, docu-series, feature films, scripted shows, and children’s programming.
“Our lives, both independent of each other, and as a couple have allowed us to understand the power of the human spirit: of courage, resilience, and the need for connection,” Meghan and Harry said in a statement. “Through our work with diverse communities and their environments, to shining a light on people and causes around the world, our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope.”
They also noted that Netflix’s “unprecedented reach will help us share impactful content that unlocks action,” which is true given that the streaming service has 193M subscribers worldwide. The couple moved to Los Angeles last March, and in the months following were said to be in talks with several platforms including Disney, Apple and NBCUniversal before the Netflix deal was confirmed.
“We’re incredibly proud they have chosen Netflix as their creative home and are excited about telling stories with them that can help build resilience and increase understanding for audiences everywhere,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-chief executive and chief content officer, said in a statement.
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