In the first five years of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s production partnership with Netflix, I often wondered why they didn’t attach themselves (or rather Archewell) to projects in development, especially documentaries and docuseries. There was probably too much emphasis on developing their own stuff from scratch, when really they could have started out by hopping onto existing projects and helping other people get financing or support. Well, it looks like that’s going to be Archewell 2.0, under the Sussexes’ new Netflix deal. Last week, it was announced that Harry and Meghan had come on board the documentary Cookie Queens. They executive-produced the doc, which will premiere at Sundance. This week, there’s a new Archewell announcement: they’ve signed on to produce an adaptation of Jasmine Guillory’s The Wedding Date.
Netflix has enlisted Girls Trip scribe Tracy Oliver to adapt The Wedding Date from New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory, with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry set to produce for Archewell, alongside Tracy Ryerson.
The Wedding Date sees a chance elevator encounter on the part of a career-driven political strategist lead to posing as a stranger’s wedding date. While the strategist had stopped believing in romance, she discovers that love has a way of showing up when you least expect it. Marking the first novel in Guillory’s Wedding Date series, The Wedding Date was published in January 2018.
Oliver first broke out in 2017 with the comedy Girls Trip, becoming the first Black woman to write a film that grossed over $100 million at the global box office. She went on to write Little, The Sun Is Also a Star, and the horror-comedy The Blackening, also creating and exec producing the TV series First Wives Club and Amazon’s Harlem. On the television side, she currently has multiple projects in active development, including two book-based thriller dramas: Paper Gods at Netflix and Not a Happy Family at Starz. In film, she’s developing Girls Trip 2, The Blackening 2, and Deck the Y’alls, a holiday film starring Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain.
In business with Netflix since 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell extended its creative partnership with the streamer via a multi-year, first-look deal earlier this year. Their partnership has so far generated documentaries, scripted series, films, sports, and lifestyle programming, with releases including Polo, With Love, Meghan, Heart of Invictus, Harry & Meghan, and Live to Lead.
Coming off the release of With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration, a special holiday episode of the top-rated unscripted series With Love, Meghan, as well as the Netflix documentary short Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within, Archewell’s upcoming slate also includes the romance Meet Me at the Lake, based on the bestseller by Carley Fortune. Markle has also partnered with Netflix on the lifestyle brand, As ever, and both she and Prince Harry are EPs on the Sundance-bound doc Cookie Queens, as we recently revealed.
I watched The Blackening and it surprised me – it was trying to be elevated comedic horror but I wish they had leaned into one or the other, either straight horror or make it a lot funnier. As for this adaptation… I assume that if it’s successful, then that would lead the way to making more films based on the book series (which I haven’t read, my bad). I also wonder if Archewell went and made this happen or if they were basically approached by Netflix to step in and help develop this. Anyway, it’s interesting that we’re getting all of this late-in-the-year announcements about/from Archewell Productions.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
In the beginning it probably was a little bit of both Netflix wanted original content from them, and they wanted to do original content. I think after doing original content and dealing with all those elevator pitch meetings for Netflix and Spotify, they probably realized this is the direction they preferred. Since original content is a lot of work and involves a lot of their time directly. Meghan pretty much said as much when she said why she would likely only do specials, and ” quick bite” episodes of WLM going forward.
I’m not sure why they’re announcing so much late in the year, unless they just didn’t want to get scooped by the British media. But it is amusing to me that the British media basically was like their Netflix deal is as good as dead, and how nothing would get done now, and here they are releasing news about the results of their first look deal by producing something inside and outside of Netflix.
I love that whole book series! Juicy modern romantic fiction.
I read 2 of the books years ago with a book club and may have to revisit the series. I thought they were fun reads.
I am so excited for this! Jasmine Guillory is one of my favorite authors; the whole series is a delight.
And Guillory’s “Royal Holiday” in the series is Sussex fan fiction!! The royal couple in question is clearly meant to reference Meghan and Harry, and Vivian, the mom at the center of the story, (while not the Duchess’ mom) gives clear Doria Ragland vibes.
I love that the Sussexes are now officially involved with this project so much!
I loved the series of books, too! Jasmine Guillory is one of my faves! Can’t wait for this movie.
Aww she finally gets to produce her rom com! Didn’t she mention in an early interview that she wanted to bring back the rom com? These are a great place to start- love the diversity.
Cue that next video from Can’t which should be Winter.
Romantic movies are definitely making a comeback – its like someone in hollywood realized how many romance books are sold every year – whether romantasy, romantic comedy, historical romances, or whatever is happening on kindle unlimited lol. Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood are both getting picked up for movies, we heard about Carley Fortune already and now this.
As a woman who has long loved the romance genre, it makes me so happy. I dont want the cheesy things that happen on Lifetime. These books are good – take the material and bring it to life.
so yes I’m excited for this lol.
I am SO excited for the movie adaption of “The Love Hypothesis”. Absolutely cannot wait.
Love Hypothesis is a really fun book, I can’t wait!
This is exciting.
Awww. I’m here for this. These books are super fun and pretty sure Jasmine Guillory was a Meghan supporter when she used to be on SM. I’ve been living for the chemistry shows lately, between Maxton Hall and Heated Rivalry. So well cast all of them.
The amount of my energy that I have spent obsessing about maxton hall and now heated rivalry is almost embarrassing. I need romances to get me through these terrible times.
Same.
Same. Heated Rivalry has single handedly made my December.
I’m so excited for this. I was really hoping they’d do some more fiction stuff from Black creators and a rom com is so up Meghan’s alley. If they announce a queer romance next year they’ll have pretty much checked everything off my wish list lol.
What’s funny though is that one of this author, Jasmine Guillory’s, books ‘A Royal Holiday’ was semi inspired by Meghan’s mom. I’m sure they got a kick out of that. Here’s a quote from 2019:
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The protagonist of “Royal Holiday,” a 54-year-old Oakland social worker named Vivian Forest, accompanies her stylist daughter to England over Christmas and falls for the queen’s elegant black private secretary. She was inspired by Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland — and a tweet.
“There was a news story (in November 2018) that the queen had invited Meghan Markle’s mom to Christmas with the royal family, and a friend of mine tweeted something like, ‘Now I need a rom-com with the new duchess’ mom finding love with someone who works for the queen.’ I responded as a complete joke: ‘I volunteer as tribute!’ Then there were so many responses, I thought, I could actually have fun doing this.”
——
The article for reference: https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/books/article/oakland-s-jasmine-guillory-wrote-romance-lit-21179642.php
I’ve read a few of the books in Jasmine Guillory’s wedding date universe & they are cute. It’s also funny because Jasmine is a huge fan of Harry & Meghan & one of the books in her wedding party spin offs has character that was loosely based on Doria and a romance with the Queen’s Black private secretary 😆 So im sure she’s excited to have her book adapted for Netflix & by the Sussexes.
Tracy Oliver said she was approached by someone she knew at Archewell to adapt the book so likely something they had in development & pitched to Netflix. Wonder how the fail & page six’s sources missed these latest projects in the works but sure they will know all about it by this weekend 🤪
I wish Pearl hadn’t been cancelled (would love if that could go elsewhere one way but as it was greenlit during Netflix’s exclusive deal not sure that’s possible) & that Archewell had done acquisitions in the beginning to get content onto Netflix before the docuseries. Think it would have been better for Archewell’s standing & credibility as a production company.
But love to see news of these new projects which all sound interesting & have good talent involved. I think the cookie queens was announced now as it is premiering at sundance next month. Not sure about timing of the wedding date announcement though. So much for their partnership with Netflix being over- people mag, Forbes & others who were reporting that earlier this year should be embarrassed.
I’m still very anxious for the “Meet Me at the Lake” movie. That news is what lead me to read the book, which lead me to Carley Fortune’s other books, which lead me to “Every Summer After”, which is now one of my favorite books of all time.
See, this is why I’m glad that Meghan has branched out with As Ever. This project sounds very Hallmark-y and I can’t see myself ever watching something like that, but at least I can continue to support her through honey and jam!
I encourage you to read Jasmine Guillory’s books, especially this one. They are romances, yes, but lots of people have that Hallmark-y stereotype about romance books (I get it!) but that does a disservice to a pretty wide-ranging genre.
And Guillory’s books are incredibly well-written, with thoughtful social commentary on race, economics and politics throughout.
So I recommend you give it a try; you might be pleasantly surprised!
I’m a big romance reader and jasmines books are very good. This sounds like a great project.
The Wedding Date, The Proposal, all were very good! Good for them!
The first black woman to write a screenplay that grossed $100 million at the international box office? Didn’t Shonda Rhimes adapt/write the “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement” screenplay for Garry Marshall in 2004? I thought that film grossed over $100 million, but perhaps it didn’t.
Fun fact, that was Chris Pine’s first film? 😀
The Oscars have two categories for screenplay writing, original and adapted. Perhaps, that’s what they mean about Jasmine Guillorys?
@Eurydice … Perhaps.
it’s weird because I googled and it seems princess diaries 2 did make more than 100 million at the global box office. Maybe thats a mistake and it meant domestic box office? because I’ve seen that line about “first black woman to write a screenplay that grossed 100 million” a few times now in different places.
@Becks1 … It could also be that many people don’t know that Shonda Rhimes wrote the screenplay for “Princess Diaries 2”. I certainly didn’t and was pleasantly shocked when I finally noticed her name in the opening credits of the film. LOL! Unfortunately, the Princess Diaries series isn’t everybody’s jam. 🙂
What I appreciate here is the straightforward way this article is written – no snark, just the facts, listing all the projects and naming WLM as “the top-rated unscripted series.” This is the way you write about people who are legitimately in the business.
As for “The Wedding Date,” I’m more sci-fi than rom-com, but it seems a perfect project for this dumpster fire timeline. I hope it a huge success.
This is actually somewhat of an improvement (or a return to business) for Deadline, because they HAD actually jumped on the snark train (and worse) re the Sussexes, even during this year.
So when I saw the phrase “the top-rated unscripted series With Love, Meghan… ” I actually double-checked to see which publication was writing the article, because I’m pretty sure that Deadline has also claimed in the past that the Sussexes’ projects, and especially Meghan’s, were “failures”.
Their snark bonuses must not have cleared this week. 😀
I was in Jasmine’s class at college and see her at reunions. Such a nice person. I remember her saying she wasn’t really interested in her legal career but at least Stanford law wasn’t hard. Very smart person. I’m so excited that she’ll be working with Meg.
Wellesley Rah!
Wellesley Rah indeed!!
I picked up that book but for some reason abandoned it. I have a love hate relationship with chic-lit and rom-com since I’ve gotten older and now prefer thrillers or even fantasy. I may see if I can get this on Libby and read it. I’m glad the Sussexes are getting more involved in different projects and I hope this is successful. I just watched Masaka Kids and I enjoyed it.
Yay, this is fantastic! And I’m excited for Jasmine Guillory, too. How exciting all around.
And I hope it’s successful enough that it does follow the (loose) series.
Nice to get some good news.
My takeaway from this story is that we’ve been sleeping on Tracy Oliver!!! She is killing it!!
This should be good! This novel was such a fun read and I like all her books. It’s good that Archewell Productions is expanding. Meghan has mentioned bringing back rom-cons. They have an eclectic slate but definitely looking for uplifting content to produce.