Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's first project with Netflix will zero in one of the Duke of Sussex's advocacies, the Paralympics competition Invictus Games. The couple's Archewell productions alongside the Invictus Games Foundation confirmed the upcoming docuseries Heart of Invictus with Harry appearing in front of the cameras.
In a statement, the Duke of Sussex said that he couldn't be more excited to give Netflix viewers a "window into the moving and uplifting stories" of the participants, who are wounded military veterans now focusing their energy and strength at the competitions. The show will follow these Paralympics athletes as they prepare for the upcoming competition in The Hauge in 2022.
Heart of Invictus has tapped Orlando von Einsiedel as the director with Joanna Natasegara as the executive producer. Apart from the competitors, the documentary will also follow the organizers and the people working behind the scenes to mount the next Invictus games.
Invictus in The Netherlands was supposed to take place in the summer of 2020 but the health risks amid the pandemic forced the games to be moved to a later date. Early this year, Prince Harry and the Invictus Games Foundation explained that they are skipping the games for 2021 as well so that they would have a fully immersive competition the following year, sans the restrictions to athletes and spectators.
Harry co-founded the Invictus Games in 2014 after his decade-long military stint and tours of duty in Afghanistan. The Duke of Sussex wanted to help out his fellow veterans, especially those who have been having a hard time transitioning back to their non-military life because of their wounds as well as their physical and mental disabilities. He believes that by embracing sports, these veterans can take the first steps to their healing and well-being after a traumatizing experience in the frontlines of war.
In September 2020, Harry and Meghan signed a multi-million deal to produce various programs for the streaming platform. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex then set up Archewell Productions for its venture into documentary filmmaking. However, they also plan to release feature films, children's shows and scripted programs. Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings predicted in an interview with Squawk Box on CNBC that Harry and Meghan's releases will become the most viewed and most exciting content on their platform.
Ted Sarandos, the chief content officer and co-CEO of the streaming platform also welcomed the couple's first docuseries and commended Harry and Meghan for "building an ambitious slate" of shows that reflect their advocacies. Sarandos promised subscribers of Netflix that Heart of Invictus will showcase something they've never seen before.
Prince Harry, however, has not yet confirmed when Heart of Invictus will drop on Netflix.
