Showbiz is glamorous, celebrity-packed, and a money-magnet. For those reasons, many want to give it a try to pursue fame and fortune.
But in the industry so demanding and under the spotlight, showbiz can be unforgiving.
Not only for newcomers. Even talented celebrities with list of accolades can be affected.
Royals are apparently included.
Megan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has signed a deal with streaming titan Netflix, in which the two parties would collaborate in creating 'Pearl', which was planned to be Netflix's first ever animated series.
But later, Netflix announced that it cannot continue with the project.
It all began back in 2021.
At that time, Meghan Markle, wife of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, announced the partnership with Elton John’s husband, David Furnish.
She said that she was excited to work with the "powerhouse" platform.
"Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges," Markle said.
As a former actress who then becomes a member of the British royal family, Markle is no stranger to working with people behind cameras.
"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."
Meghan and Harry had created Archewell Productions in order to create original documentaries and children’s shows. And Pearl was set to be the couple's first animated series.
The deal that was worth around £18 million, also included Spotify on its list of partners.
Read: Prince Harry And Meghan's Deals With Netflix And Spotify, Following The Royal Family Chaos
Knowing the value it may and may not bring, Netflix decided that it couldn't continue with Pearl.
The streaming giant couldn't give the green light to the series, which follows a 12-year-old girl chasing adventures with the help of historically influential women. Netflix couldn't care much about what was supposed to be the first available product of the Sussexes’ production brand, because it has more things it needs to deal with.
For example, Netflix's shares had plummeted, which wiped billions of dollars from its market value.
What's more, Netflix just experienced the first time ever user decline in 10 years.
This decline happened after the streaming service announced the idea of tightening up its subscription model, changing how many viewers access the platform.
In other words, Netflix is working in a tighter budget.
And Pearl is just one of several projects dropped by Netflix in an attempt to slash costs.
Others may consider this moment as the worst "Woke-flix."
After she was informed that Netflix dumped her animated series, the Duchess is reportedly trying to find a new partner.
Markle and her team at Archewell do not see the Netflix dump as the end of the road.
Meghan and executive producer David Furnish “are reviewing the project to see where else it could find a home”, according to sources.
For starters, they are pitching the series concept to streamers, including Apple and Amazon.
Besides that, Archewell Productions also removed description of the series under its subsection.
Instead, the Archewell website is putting an even stronger emphasis to 'Heart of Invictus,' which follows the 'Invictus Games,' an international sporting event founded by Prince Harry.
It's worth noting that despite dropping Pearl, sources claimed that Netflix remains optimistic about the Archewell deal.
This suggests that dumping Markle was not its original plan. It only scraped Pearl because the project was still in the development stage.
