Prince Documentary Featuring Abuse Claim by Ex Killed by Netflix as Estate Plans New Film

Mar. 15, 2025

US singer Prince performs on October 11, 2009 at the Grand Palais in Paris. Prince has decided to give two extra concerts at the Grand Palais titled “All Day/All Night” after he discovered the exhibition hall during Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel fashion show.Photo:BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty

BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty

Netflix and Prince’s estate released a joint statement on Friday, Feb. 7 announcing that Oscar-winning filmmaker Ezra Edelman’s long-in-the-works film will not see the light of day, and they’ll instead pivot to something different.

“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. As a result, the Netflix documentary will not be released,” the statement read.

A spokesperson for Edelman did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Musicians Sheila E. (L) and Prince perform onstage during the 2007 NCLR ALMA Awards held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on June 1, 2007 in Pasadena, California.Vince Bucci/Getty

Vince Bucci/Getty

Weiss reported that the film, which she called a “cursed masterpiece,” was a detailed portrait of Prince’s music and career, as well as the darker sides of his personal life, which he kept fiercely private before hedied in 2016 at age 57of an accidental overdose. The documentary included both vault footage and interviews with more than 70 people.

Edelman’s film reportedly covered thedevastating loss of his infant sonwith ex-wife Mayte Garcia and his difficult childhood, and included an interview with a former girlfriend who alleged physical abuse. One scene features ex-love Jill Jones recounting a night in 1984 in which the Grammy winner punched her in the face repeatedly, according to the outlet.

AVarietyreport in July indicated that the project was “dead in the water” after the screening, as estate representatives deemed the film factually incorrect, and felt it was “sensationalized.”

“We have a duty to honor and protect his legacy with a story that fairly shows him complexities as well as his greatness. #no9hourhitjob,” Charles Spicer, Prince’s friend and former business advisor who formed Prince Legacy LLC with some of the star’s heirs, reportedly posted on X in July in a since-deleted post.

“He had human flaws, as we all do, but he was a great man, greatest artist ever, philanthropist, innovator, and he helped many people including me,” he wrote. “People can say what they want but won’t use his platform to do it.”

source: people.com