Controversial Prince Netflix Documentary Officially Canceled

Netflix has confirmed the cancellation of a controversial documentary about Prince which had been under production since 2018.

It had been in dispute ever since award-winning director Ezra Edelman (O.J.: Made in America) delivered nine hours of material instead of the agreed six, which – reports said – constituted a breach of contract.

That gave Prince’s estate the opportunity to refuse permission to use his music, an opportunity they took because they reportedly didn’t approve of some of the contents.

Last year the production was described as “dead in the water” amid reports that alleged darker aspects of Prince’s personality were portrayed without sufficient fact-checking. That led one representative of the estate to claim that the show “would do generational harm to Prince.”

“The Prince Estate and Netflix have come to a mutual agreement that will allow the estate to develop and produce a new documentary featuring exclusive content from Prince’s archive,” Netflix told Variety on Feb. 6. “As a result, the Netflix documentary will not be released.”

In a possible response, the estate commented that “the vault has been freed,” but said nothing about any plans for an alternative documentary.

On the same day, it was announced that Prince’s 1992 Glam Slam concert – previously released as part of 2023’s Diamonds and Pearls box set – would be available for separate purchase on triple vinyl this Record Store Day.

Prince Documentary Described as ‘Cursed Masterpiece’

The film was described by a New York Times previewer as “a cursed masterpiece that the public may never be allowed to see.” It was said to portray a “creature of pure sex and mischief and silky ambiguity [who] was also dark, vindictive and sad. This artist who liberated so many could be pathologically controlled and controlling. The film is sometimes uncomfortable to watch.”

The contents were also reported to include details of Prince’s relationships, with former partners accusing him of physical and emotional abuse. Edelman was last year said to be have been “devastated” that four years of his work faced abandonment.