Prince’s estate will not sign off on a years-in-the-making Netflix documentary about the late singer over its nine-hour length, according to a new report.
The deal, signed in 2018, called for a six-hour series, but director Ezra Edelman’s final cut as it stands runs three hours longer, which the estate believes violates their initial agreement, Puck reported Monday.
While Netflix is said to be “confident a compromise can still be worked out,” the streamer remains at a standstill with the estate, as Edelman, 49, reportedly is “not interested in a truncated version” of the film.
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Emmy winner Ava DuVernay was originally tapped to helm the documentary, but Edelman took over more than four years ago.
The Oscar-winning director of “OJ: Made in America” has since completed the Prince project and even hosted screenings for family and friends last year, according to the outlet.
However, the estate’s executors have taken issue with not only the length of the career-spanning doc but also inaccuracies about its famously private subject, Puck reported.
The creative differences have been further complicated by Prince’s estate being divided in two in 2022, meaning Edelman needs approval from both sides: the family and those who manage the artist’s rights.
A music insider tells Pvnew exclusively that the estate as a whole is “incredibly nitpicky,” as it is the executors’s job to protect Prince’s legacy “with kid gloves.”
“You never saw Prince release anything subpar. Everything was carefully curated and fine-tuned. The estate still holds that high standard,” our source explains, claiming the current version of the project “does not accurately portray the legendary Prince.”
Nonetheless, the insider assures us that the estate “does, in fact, want to see the documentary released — when it is ready, respectfully — so that the world can celebrate his extraordinary life and work.”
Prince, whose hit songs included “Purple Rain,” “Kiss” and “When Doves Cry,” died from an accidental fentanyl overdose in 2016 at the age of 57.
Reps for the estate, Netflix and Edelman did not immediately respond to Pvnew’s requests for comment.
