First animated project from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell Productions will center on the adventures of a 12-year-old girl, inspired by influential women in history.
LOS ANGELES -- Archewell Productions today announced that it is developing a new animated series for Netflix. Created by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, Pearl (working title) will be a family series that centers on the adventures of a 12-year-old girl, who is inspired by a variety of influential women from history.
The Duchess of Sussex will serve as an executive producer alongside David Furnish (Rocketman, Gnomeo & Juliet), Carolyn Soper (Sherlock Gnomes, Tangled), and Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Liz Garbus (I'll Be Gone in the Dark, What Happened, Miss Simone?), and Dan Cogan (Icarus, The Apollo). Amanda Rynda (DC Super Hero Girls, The Loud House) will serve as showrunner and executive producer.
“Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges,” said Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, Co-Founder of Archewell Productions. “I’m thrilled that Archewell Productions, partnered with the powerhouse platform of Netflix, and these incredible producers, will together bring you this new animated series, which celebrates extraordinary women throughout history. David Furnish and I have been eager to bring this special series to light, and I am delighted we are able to announce it today.”
David Furnish, Executive Producer, said: “I am delighted that we are finally able to announce this exciting animated series. Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex and I are deeply passionate about bringing the inspirational and positive stories of extraordinary women from around the world to a global audience of all ages. The team collaborating on the series are first class, and Netflix are the perfect partner.”
Carolyn Soper, Executive Producer, said: “Animation is the perfect medium to bring this fun, heartfelt and inspiring story to life. Pearl is a character in which everyone will recognize a piece of themselves while absolutely rooting for her as she discovers so much about the world, both past and present, and how she fits into it. I am thrilled to be working with Meghan and such an illustrious team.”
“I have always been drawn to stories of strong women overcoming challenges and realizing their power,” said Liz Garbus, Co-Founder of Story Syndicate. The idea of doing this in the context of a children's series, one that is both entertaining and enlightening, with the strong woman Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, at its heart is thrilling. I have long wanted to work with the brilliant David Furnish, and I am so happy to be joining forces with him, Carolyn, Amanda and Archewell Productions to bring this project to the world.”
Amanda Rynda, Showrunner/Executive Producer, said: “I’m so energized to be helping execute Meghan’s creative vision in showcasing an empowerment story that entertains and inspires. The character journey would have delighted me as a child, and I’m overjoyed to be on the creative team bringing forward themes I’m passionate about as an adult.”
“An exciting tale that weaves together fantasy and history, Pearl focuses on a young girl who learns to step into her own power when she embarks on a heroic adventure and meets important women from history along the way,” said Megan Casey, Director of Original Animation at Netflix. “We’re excited to develop this animated series with our partners at Archewell Productions and Story Syndicate.”
Pearl marks the first animated series from Archewell Productions. In April, Archewell Productions announced its first Netflix project, Heart of Invictus, a docu-series that’s being produced in partnership with The Invictus Games Foundation and will showcase powerful stories of resilience and hope from competitors on their journey to Invictus Games The Hague 2020, now set to take place in 2022.
Source: Netflix
