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Director Ezra Edelman is speaking out against the reign of estate-approved celebrity documentaries. The Oscar- and Emmy-winning “O.J: Made In America” director said during a recent appearance on the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast in the below video that Netflix was “afraid” to debut his six-part, nine-hour docuseries about “Purple Rain” singer Prince amid disputes with the late musician’s estate.

The New York Times previously reported that Edelman’s long-gestating docuseries was blocked by Prince’s estate. The project, titled “The Book of Prince,” was officially canceled in early February after Edelman spent five years making it. Now, instead of “The Book of Prince,” Netflix and the Prince estate are working on a new, separate documentary.

“I’m not Prince, but I worked really hard making something, and now my art is being stifled and thrown away,” Edelman said of his shelved docuseries. “This is the thing I just find galling.

Ezra Edelman responded on Tuesday to Netflix’s announcement that they would not release his Prince documentary, calling the decision short-sighted, stifling and “a joke.”

Controversy over Edelman’s documentary first made headlines in September, when a New York Times report alleged that the nine-hour project would accuse Prince of physical and emotional abuse. The Prince estate said at the time they were “working to resolve matters,” and Netflix revealed in early February that the streamer would not release the documentary, and that the estate may develop a new project using content from Prince’s archive.

Edelman did not comment on the Netflix announcement last month, but this week called the debacle “a joke” on Pablo Torre Finds Out. “The estate, here’s the one thing they were allowed to do: Check the film for factual inaccuracies. Guess what? They came back with a 17-page document full of editorial issues — not factual issues,...

The changing nature of the documentary business has seen an influx of celebrities (and their representatives) producing their own series and films over the last few years.

Ezra Edelman, the Oscar-winning director of ESPN’s O.J: Made In America, is warning that viewers are being served “slop” with this approach.

It comes after Netflix scrapped his nine-hour, six-part series about Prince and the musician’s estate will now “develop and produce a new documentary featuring exclusive content from Prince’s archive”.

“Right now, we live in a culture and in a documentary universe, and in some ways in a journalistic universe, where the subject gets to dictate who they are to everybody. And that is not the way that the Fourth Estate was set up. So, my issue is that in trading for access, you now have a lot of companies and filmmakers making deals with the subject, sanitizing their story and or their image,...

Angie Stone, neo-soul singer and member of the pioneering all-female hip-hop group the Sequence, has died at the age of 63.

The singer’s rep Deborah R. Champagne told TMZ that Stone died in a car accident early Saturday morning following a concert the previous night in Montgomery, Alabama; Stone was scheduled to perform in Baltimore Saturday night, and died en route in the crash on Interstate 65 in Montgomery County, Alabama. Stone’s daughter Diamond also confirmed her mother’s death on social media.

“Angie Stone’s voice and spirit will...

A Netflix documentary chronicling the life of the late singer Prince has be canceled.

It was announced on Thursday (February 6) that Netflix will no longer be moving forward with Ezra Edelman‘s controversial project that he has been working on for five years.

Keep reading to find out more…

“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. As a result, the Netflix documentary will not be released,” Netflix said in a statement, per The Wrap.

Ezra, who made the 2016 docuseries O.J.: Made in America, originally made a deal with Prince‘s estate to create a six-hour series, and was given Prince‘s archives to produce the project.

However, the project took a turn when multiple of Prince‘s ex-girlfriends accused him of physical and emotional abuse (per The...

The six-part Prince documentary is officially dead at Netflix. The streamer will no longer be releasing the Ezra Edelman project, according to multiple media reports. Instead, the estate will move forward on making a new documentary about the late legend.

“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,” Netflix said in a statement. “As a result, the Netflix documentary will not be released.”

Shortly after the news broke, the estate posted a video on X set to Prince’s “Free.” “The Vault Has Been Freed,” the account posted along with the hashtag “free.”

The Vault Has Been Freed. #Free pic.twitter.com/uvAbzEBbTc

— Prince (@prince) February 6, 2025

The drama around Edelman’s Prince docuseries is about as intense as documentary drama comes. Originally, Edelman, who is best known for...

Sad news for Ezra Edelman fans—Netflix and The Prince Estate have decided that the new documentary about the life of the famed singer should not see the light of day. It was reported that the filmmaker spent almost five years researching and working overnights to finish the project.

Ezra Edelman | Credits: YouTube/Star Sessions

The said documentary, which is reportedly nine hours long, would feature the highs and the lows of Prince’s career, including personal stories and interviews with his past lovers, friends, and business associates.

Ezra Edelman’s Prince documentary blocked from release by The Prince Estate

Fans were shocked by a joint statement from Netflix and the Prince Estate announcing that Ezra Edelman’s documentary has been officially shelved. As shared by Deadline:

The Prince Estate and Netflix have come to a mutual agreement that will allow the estate to develop and produce a new documentary...

Netflix will no longer release a documentary about Prince by filmmaker Ezra Edelman following a new deal with the late singer’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,” Netflix and the estate said in a statement on Thursday. “As a result, the Netflix documentary will not be released.”

Following the announcement, Prince’s estate shared a video on X with the caption, “The Vault Has Been Freed.

Netflix will not release Ezra Edelman’s Prince documentary following a new deal with the late singer’s estate, the two parties announced Thursday.

“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,” a statement from both parties’ social media read. “As a result, the Netflix documentary will not be released.”

A New York Times report last September alleged that Edelman’s project would accuse Prince of physical and emotional abuse. The documentary was reportedly nine hours, and featured interviews with dozens of Prince’s former business partners, lovers, friends and associates. Edelman is best known for O.J.: Made in America.

Among the allegations reported was an interview with Prince’s ex-lover Jill Jones, who spoke of a night in which he slapped and punched her in the face.

Primary Wave Music and Prince Legacy, two companies with ties to Prince’s assets, released a statement Monday afternoon in response to reports of an unreleased documentary accusing the late musician of physical and emotional abuse.

“Those with the responsibility of carrying out Prince’s wishes shall honor his creativity and genius,” the statement reads. “We are 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. We look forward to continuing to share Prince’s gifts and celebrate his profound and lasting impact on the world.”

On Sunday, a lengthy report from The New York Times Magazine revealed that an unreleased nine-hour documentary from O.J.: Made in America filmmaker Ezra Edelman featured interviews with dozens of Prince’s former business partners, lovers, friends and associates, which included multiple allegations of physical and emotional abuse.

Prince took his stardom to new heights when he made a splash with Purple Rain.

Director Albert Magnoli’s musical drama starred Prince as the Kid, an aspiring musician from an abusive upbringing who navigates a rivalry with another performer (Morris E. Day) and a romance with a fellow singer (Apollonia Kotero).

Following the success of his 1982 album, 1999, Prince told manager Robert Cavallo of his big-screen aspirations. After facing resistance from studios, Cavallo produced the project himself, with Prince writing the songs and culling story ideas from his own journey.

Magnoli worked on the script with screenwriter William Blinn (Fame) but also encouraged collaboration from Prince’s friends who were cast in supporting roles, including Day, who fronted the band Prince put together. Recalls co-star Jerome Benton, who was the sidekick in the band: “Albert would ask me, ‘If Morris said this, what would you say?’ [And then,] ‘Morris, if you said this,...

What do you say about Purple Rain that hasn't already been said? Not only is it one of the greatest music films of all time, but it's one of the defining films of the 1980s and earned Prince an Oscar. The soundtrack spent nearly a full half-year at Number One on the Billboard charts, sold 20 million copies worldwide and won two Grammys. But as with all things Prince, that's not the full story. A number of truly excellent books and articles have been written about the making of Purple Rain, and we're here to share some of the best bits of them with you.