*Oscar-winning filmmaker Ezra Edelman is addressing the cancellation of his long-awaited Prince documentary after Netflix and the singer’s estate decided to go in a different direction.
During a March 4 appearance on the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, Edelman reacted to the decision, which was announced last month. His documentary, years in the making, was shelved in favor of a different project on the legendary Purple Rain artist.
The film had been described as an in-depth look at Prince’s career and personal life, incorporating rare vault footage and interviews with over 70 people. A 2023 report from The New York Times detailed how the documentary explored Prince’s childhood struggles, the loss of his infant son with ex-wife Mayte Garcia, and even allegations of physical abuse from a former girlfriend.
One particularly shocking moment reportedly included an interview with singer Jill Jones, who alleged that Prince punched her repeatedly during an incident in 1984.
Despite the documentary’s deep dive into Prince’s life, Netflix ultimately decided to move forward with a different vision for the project, leaving Edelman’s work unreleased.
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“The estate, here’s the one thing they were allowed to do: Check the film for factual inaccuracies. Guess what? They came back with a 17-page document full of editorial issues — not factual issues,” he said, per PEOPLE. “You think I have any interest in putting out a film that is factually inaccurate?”
Edelman stated that the estate’s concerns revolve around “who has control” over the documentary’s content.
“This is reflective of Prince himself, who was notoriously one of the most famous control freaks in the history of artists,” he added.
“The lawyer who runs the estate essentially said he believed that this would do generational harm to Prince,” said Edelman. “In essence, that the portrayal of Prince in this film — what people learn about him — would deter younger viewers and fans, potentially, from loving Prince. They would be turned off.”
He continued, “This is, I think, the big issue here: I’m like, ‘This is a gift — a nine-hour treatment about an artist that was, by the way, f—ing brilliant.’ Everything about who you believe he is is in this movie. You get to bathe in his genius. And yet you also have to confront his humanity, which he, by the way, in some ways, was trapped in not being able to expose because he got trapped in his own myth about who he was to the world, and he had to maintain it.”
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Prince’s Estate Rejects Netflix Documentary Over Nine-Hour Length
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