The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have gained the rights to produce a film from a best-selling book for the first time, according to The Sun.
As part of their Netflix deal – reportedly worth up to £80 million – Archewell Productions is set to turn the romantic novel Meet Me At The Lake by former journalist Carley Fortune, into a fictional drama.
This new venture comes after the couple and Spotify “mutually agreed to part ways” according to a statement from Harry and Meghan’s company. They produced one series of the podcast Archetypes, which saw Meghan interview stars like Mariah Carey and Serena Williams on issues such as race and parenthood over 12 episodes.
Harry’s documentary Heart of Invictus is set to be released on Netflix this month ahead of the games for wounded veterans in Düsseldorf in September.
Here’s everything you need to know about the novel inspiring the royal couple’s next venture.
What’s the plot of the book?
Meet Me At The Lake was released in May 2023 and spent two weeks in the top ten of the New York Times Bestsellers List.
The novel follows two strangers, Fern Brookbanks and Will Baxter, who make a random connection in their early 20s. They make a pact after a daylong adventure to meet again after one year, but Fern shows up and Will doesn’t.
Fast forward and Fern is 32, her life isn’t going as planned and she has retuned to her childhood home to run her mother’s lakeside resort – something she promised to never do.
To her surprise, nine years later, Will shows up and offers to help her out. But he’s hiding something and Fern isn’t sure what it is.
The story is set in Canada and deals with mental health, postnatal depression and childhood trauma over losing a parent in a car crash – all themes that mirror some of the experiences of Harry and Meghan’s real lives.
Who’s the author?
Carley Fortune is a number one New York Times and Globe and Mail best-selling author, who has sold more than one-million copies of her books worldwide.
She’s also a journalist who has worked at some of Canada’s top publications as an editor, including Chatelaine, Globe and Mail, Toronto Life and The Grid. She was most recently the executive editor of Refinery29 Canada.
What else has she written?
Fortune has written two books in total, including Meet Me At The Lake. Her debut novel Every Summer After, told over the course of six summers, is a nostalgic exploration of love, and the people and choices that impact us forever.
It was published in May 2022 and became a number one New York Times, Globe and Mail, and USA Today bestseller.
Every Summer After has not yet been adapted for TV or film.
What do we know about the timeline?
Due to the ongoing strike in Hollywood over the last three months, production has been postponed.
There’s no news yet on who the couple might cast for the main characters on the film or when it might be available to stream on Netflix.
