The unreleased project from an Oscar-winning director has been in the works at Netflix for five years and reportedly paints a complex, uncomfortable portrait of the music icon.
Prince — the prodigiously talented, chart-topping musical powerhouse of the 1980s and beloved rock legend in the decades since — was notoriously private during his lifetime, rarely giving interviews and keeping his personal life as hidden as he could, given his ubiquity.
That approach largely continued after the superstar’s death in 2016. Large portions of his biography, personal video and photographs, and even vast portions of his music catalog have remained hidden from public view.
For half a decade, a Netflix documentary series has been in the works that might have changed that. But last week, an in-depth New York Times story detailed how the project has been mired in a series of overlapping legal and artistic disputes — and as a result, fans who want to know more about the “Purple Rain” singer may never get to see it.
Or will they?
From a legal standpoint, it’s not hopeless, Northeastern University entertainment law experts say. But like Prince himself, it’s complicated.
The Netflix project has been hotly anticipated because in 2018, the streaming service entered into an agreement with Prince’s estate giving director Ezra Edelman, who previously won the best documentary Oscar for the series “OJ: Made in America,” unprecedented access to the singer’s personal archive.
Such cooperation isn’t necessarily required for a biographic documentary, but “it can be hugely helpful,” says Alexandra Roberts, a Northeastern University law professor dually appointed to the College of Arts, Media and Design (CAMD).
“If the family enters an agreement with a filmmaker, they may also agree to other things, like sharing stories with the production team, giving them access to documents and collections and introducing them to key players in the person’s life,” she says.
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https://news.northeastern.edu/2024/09/18/prince-documentary/
