Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have purchased the rights to the bestselling novel “Meet Me at the Lake” and will turn it into a romantic comedy for Netflix.
The couple acquired the movie rights through their company Archewell Productions, a spokesperson for Penguin Random House confirmed to Forbes. The novel has several elements which echo Harry and Meghan’s own life stories.
“Meet Me at the Lake” by Carley Fortune follows main characters Will and Fern, who meet in their 30s. Deadline reported that the book included themes of “childhood trauma, including losing a parent in a car crash, mental health challenges and post-natal depression.” Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, died from injuries sustained in a car crash while being pursued by a group of paparazzi in 1997.
The book is also set in Toronto, the city Markle lived in while filming “Suits” and began dating Harry.
“Meet Me At The Lake,” which has the same publisher as Prince Harry’s memoir “Spare,” was on the New York Times bestsellers list for five weeks.
“I’m so thrilled about working with Netflix and Archewell to bring Meet Me at the Lake to the screen,” Fortune said in a statement to The Independent. “Will and Fern’s love story is dear to my heart, and I can’t imagine a more perfect partnership.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP
The couple has been intent on creating a media empire with mixed results. In June, it was announced that Spotify was canceling the second season of Markle’s much-hyped podcast “Archetypes” after the couple signed a $20 million deal with the platform in December 2020, as The Daily Wire previously reported.
Markle and Harry also have a multi-year deal with Netflix that kicked off with the release of the documentary series “Harry & Meghan.” The series followed the former working royals from the days of their early courtship to their decision to leave the royal family and move permanently to California.
“Harry and Meghan” mainly received negative reviews from both U.K. and American critics. Netflix later canceled an animated series called “Pearl,” which was supposed to be created by Markle.
Besides the new romantic film with Netflix, Harry and Meghan will launch Prince Harry’s documentary “The Heart of Invictus” later this month.