It's a real shame that Netflix's Prince documentary, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Ezra Edelman, will not be released. Despite being lauded by everyone who saw it, this six-part series will never reach the public. The project, which Edelman worked on for over five years, was canceled following discussions with Prince's estate. The estate criticized the documentary for containing dramatic inaccuracies and not showcasing Prince positively.
This situation highlights the delicate balance documentarians—and even biopic filmmakers—must navigate between the desired image that estates or family members want to preserve and the complicated truth that might emerge through the filmmaking process. The truth about any human being, especially an icon like Prince, can be far more nuanced and layered than we expect. That's the beauty of storytelling: portraying not just the highlights, but the full complexity of someone's life.
Take the Martha Stewart documentary, for instance. Despite Martha's complaints about some aspects of the film, it was a wild success because the director, R.J. Cutler, collaborated closely with her, maintaining artistic integrity while addressing her concerns. They didn't agree on everything, but that’s part of the creative process—pushing boundaries, even when it’s uncomfortable. The result was a compelling, layered story of a real person.
As we continue to explore the lives of the greats, I’m curious to see how future projects strike that balance—especially as we look at stories that haven’t yet been told.
What do you think? Can documentaries and biopics balance creative freedom and the estate’s wishes? Let’s chat below!
I love helping writers refine their projects—if you’re working on something, I’d love to hear about it!
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It’s always a danger when you hang your project on the approval of your subject (or their estate).
Since Prince was a public figure, you could go the unauthorized route, but then you wouldn’t have access to some things that require approval, namely licensing music or footage. Or doors may be closed on interviews if the word comes down to not talk to the filmmakers.
I’ve worked on two similar projects, a feature doc on Quentin Tarantino and an upcoming Tim Burton docuseries. Each required some level of access and approval, so you have to be balanced with how you tell the story.
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Chloe Webster This is why I always try to work in fiction. This way, I create the world I want to expose and not have to worry about revisionist historians or estate personnel that wish to cover up any dark side of an individual. If you love Prince, listening to his music should be enough. If you never cared for him, nothing is going to make you watch a documentary about him. Nothing makes me want to spend any of my time listening to or watching anything movie or documentary about Amy Winehouse. I did like The Doors and while I own their greatest hits, I was never a huge fan. Anyone else other than Avril Lavigne, I have no insatiable interest in. Not that I'm obsessed with Avril, but her voice and music does relax me when I'm having a bad day.
I don't know what the controversy was about and I do feel bad for Ezra Edelman, but 5 years is a long time so depending on how much content is under dispute, cut it out and make it a 5 part series. No sense wasting all of it. Cut it down to a two hour film if that's what gets it on the air. You can always talk about what you had to cut in a YouTube video.
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I've learned some things about working with estates on GENIUS, which differs as its a scripted series, so different execution and conditions for sure. We've been fortunate to have strong relationships and involvement from the estates we worked with but learned at one point that the decison maker at an estate may change and things can then get shaky at times. The key, like anything, is having final approval and agreements locked in advance so you don't get caught in this type of unfortunate circumstance that the film and Ezra Edelman are in. Perhaps Prince was too amazing a subject to not relent to their final say (I was SOOOO eager to see it). Music icons can also be tricky because of the value of the music library and what it brings to the estate annually - if a film or doc only has a certian potential financial upside for the estate that's dwarfed by the music library, and any potential negative affect exists, then it can feel threatening and become a harder wicket to split.
That said, the Martha Stewart doc was awesome, Chloe Webster!