Tara Mobasher May 9th, 2021 - 10:08 AM
The release of HBO Max’s The Prince, expected to debut in late spring, has been postponed due to Prince Philip’s death, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Prince died on April 9 at the age of 99.
The animated satirical comedy, with Prince William and Duchess Kate’s son George as the title character, paints Prince Philip in a relatively unflattering light, thus writer and producer Gary Janetti (Family Guy) decided it was in poor taste and bad timing to release the series at its originally planned date. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, the network confirmed the delay of the series, “We were saddened to learn of Prince Philip’s passing and will adjust plans for the series debut. A new date will be announced at a later time.”
It is still unclear what changes will be made to the series before it airs. It is possible that Philip’s character, voiced by Dan Stevens (Beauty and the Beast), could be redrawn, however, nothing has been confirmed. Other cast members include Janetti voicing Prince George, Orlando Bloom (Pirates of the Caribbean) as Prince Harry, Lucy Punch (Bad Teacher) as Duchess Kate, Condola Rashad (Billions) as Meghan Markle, Iwan Rheon (Misfits) as Prince William, and Sophie Turner as Princess Charlotte (Game of Thrones).
Five days prior to the Prince’s death, Janetti released a promotional video to Instagram with the caption “The Prince coming soon to @hbomax @hbomaxpop.”
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Royals expert and author Robert Jobson understood the delay in The Prince‘s release, stating that “The depiction of the Duke of Edinburgh as an old buffon is a little cheap and unnecessary and at this moment in time it may be out of place, but satire has been going on for centuries,” he said. “He had a sense of humor about his time and obviously would’ve taken this with a pinch of salt. He might’ve even made a joke about it – he was very funny,” via The Hollywood Reporter.
A potential new release date for The Prince has not yet been disclosed.
