Prince documentary featuring abuse claims cut by Netflix after estate deal

A contentious Prince documentary will no longer see the light of day.

The nine-hour, bombshell documentary was in development at Netflix for five years before the streamer reportedly pulled the plug in a deal with the superstar's estate.

"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," the estate said in a statement released on social media Thursday. "As a result, the Netflix documentary will not be released."

The film, from Oscar-winning director Ezra Edelman ("O.J.: Made in America"), includes first-hand testimony from multiple former lovers of Prince, who accused him of physical and emotional abuse, per New York Times Magazine, which reported to have seen the unreleased film.

USA TODAY has reached out to Netflix, Prince's estate and Edelman for comment.

On Thursday, the estate released a video on social media, writing: "The Vault Has Been Freed." The 30-second clip, set to his 2002 song "Free," includes a Prince quote: "Despite everything, no one can dictate who you are to other people. The truth is, you are either here to enlighten or discourage." "The vault" refers to Prince's personal archives featuring unreleased footage and music.

The original Edelman film included musings on the "Purple Rain" singer's artistry in between allegations of physical and emotional abuse, accounts of his own abusive childhood and his abandonment of his young wife Mayte Garcia after the couple lost their child, the Times reported.

In a previously shared statement to USA TODAY in September, Prince's estate said it was "working to resolve matters concerning the documentary so that his story may be told in a way that is factually correct and does not mischaracterize or sensationalize his life."

Prince accused of physical, emotional abuse in unreleased documentary, report says

The film reportedly included allegations of a physical altercation in which Prince repeatedly punched his ex-lover Jill Jones after an argument in 1984, and relayed allegations of the singer monitoring ex-girlfriend Susannah Melvoin's calls and dissuading her from leaving their home after she moved in with him.

The documentary also featured Garcia, who said she met Prince when she was 16 and he was 35 before they became intimate when she was 19 and wed when she was 22. Garcia reportedly said after she became pregnant and lost their child, he became cold and distant, but she ultimately stopped short of criticizing him.

In addition to former lovers, the documentary reportedly also featured some of Prince's former collaborators, including members of The Revolution, who recalled his occasionally controlling nature in their interactions with him. They said the "When Doves Cry" singer dismissed their demands for better pay and at one point asked band member Wendy Melvoin to disavow her homosexuality as a prerequisite for getting the group back together.

The Times Magazine's September report said it conducted more than 20 interviews regarding the film, with deputy editor Sasha Weiss viewing the documentary in 2023 at a small, private screening in Brooklyn in which other figures, including Questlove, also viewed the film.

The Times reported at the time that when Edelman's team held a screening for Prince's estate, a lawyer representing the estate later presented the film crew with 17 pages of demanded changes. Edelman's team made some adjustments, but pleasing the estate was reportedly unsuccessful.

The singer died in 2016 at his Minneapolis compound at age 57. Public data released six weeks after his death showed he died of an accidental fentanyl overdose.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Netflix axes Prince doc with abuse claims from Ezra Edelman