Netflix's Prince Documentary Debacle: Director Breaks Silence

The director behind the scrapped Netflix documentary about Prince is finally speaking up. Last month, Netflix, along with Prince’s estate, announced that Ezra Edelman’s long-awaited film about the legendary “Purple Rain” singer would be abandoned in favor of a different documentary. Edelman, an Oscar-winning filmmaker, shared his thoughts on this development during a March 4 episode of the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast.

“It’s a joke,” remarked Edelman, who, according to The New York Times, was originally approached by Netflix in 2019 to create the documentary. He was promised that he and the streaming service would have the final cut, with Prince’s estate reviewing the footage to ensure factual accuracy.

Edelman suggested that the estate’s concerns revolve around “who has control” over the documentary’s content. He noted that this mirrors Prince’s own reputation, as he was one of the most renowned control enthusiasts among artists. Edelman felt that Netflix feared showing the “Let’s Go Crazy” singer’s “humanity” and criticized the “short-sightedness” of those prioritizing their own financial gain.