Netflix scraps controversial nine-hour Prince documentary

Netflix executives have cancelled the release of a documentary about late music icon Prince.

Last September, journalists at The New York Times reported the executors of the Purple Rain hitmaker's estate were attempting to block Ezra Edelman's nine-hour film from streaming on the platform, which own the rights to the project.

Representatives for The Prince Estate claimed it misrepresented the singer-songwriter.

But on Thursday, they released a joint statement with Netflix via social media in which they announced that the documentary would be shelved.

Instead, they have agreed to collaborate on a new project featuring exclusive footage.

"The Prince Estate and Netflix have come to a mutual agreement that will allow the estate to develop and produce a new documentary featuring exclusive content from Prince's archive," they wrote. "As a result, the Netflix documentary will not be released."

O.J.: Made in America director Edelman has not yet commented on the news.

However, reps for The Prince Estate celebrated the agreement by posting a montage of Prince photos set to his 1982 song, Free, on Instagram.

"The Vault Has Been Freed. #FREE," they enthused in the caption.

The Prince Estate is half controlled by Primary Wave Music, which purchased its stake from three heirs in 2021, and half by Prince Legacy, a company led by two managers and three relatives.

Prince, born Prince Rogers Nelson, died of an accidental fentanyl overdose in April 2016. He was 57.