Netflix has dropped actor Meghan Markle’s animated series for children, tentatively titled Pearl, along with other projects in its animation slate. The step comes after the streaming platform recently revealed that it lost over 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2022.
Pearl was announced in 2021, and was meant to be a collaboration between Netflix and Archewell Productions, the production banner of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
According to Archewell Productions, the animated series “centres around the heroic adventures of a 12-year-old girl, who is inspired by 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 Duchess of Sussex had said in a statement, adding that the show would “celebrate extraordinary women throughout history.”
The animated series was under development before being scrapped. It was supposed to be the first animated series produced by the couple’s banner, and was a part of a multi-year deal they had signed with Netflix.
In addition to creating the show, Markle was also serving as an executive producer, alongside Netflix’s David Furnish, Carolyn Soper and Emmy-winning filmmakers Liz Garbus and Dan Cogan.
Aside from Pearl, Netflix scrapped two other animated children’s series last week, namely Dino Daycare and the South-Asian inspired adventure Boons and Curses.
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The cuts to the streaming platform’s content slate come as part of Netflix’s cost-cutting measures aimed at using its resources in a judicious manner.
While the organisation’s executives mentioned that the platform will continue to invest in new content during the last financial meeting, they added that Netflix would pull back on some investments.
With the loss of a significant chunk of its subscriber base and a forecast of an additional loss of 2 million users in the next quarter, Netflix has also started eliminating some positions and laying off its staff. The platform recently made cuts to its editorial staff, including those associated with the fan-focused site TUDUM, and laid off 25 people from its global marketing team as well.