Sasha Weiss

discourse around Prince and a complex one and an interesting one. And I think it would have brought him again to the fore of the cultural conversation. And I mean, when Ezra did show a very small group of people an early cut of the film as he was working on it, he saw that kind of reaction.

discourse around Prince and a complex one and an interesting one. And I think it would have brought him again to the fore of the cultural conversation. And I mean, when Ezra did show a very small group of people an early cut of the film as he was working on it, he saw that kind of reaction.

Well, Ezra declines to discuss Netflix, but in my own reporting around the unraveling of the deal, I think Netflix bears a lot of responsibility for what happened. I think that when Ezra started making this film, it was a kind of heyday of prestige documentary, and Netflix was producing...

Well, Ezra declines to discuss Netflix, but in my own reporting around the unraveling of the deal, I think Netflix bears a lot of responsibility for what happened. I think that when Ezra started making this film, it was a kind of heyday of prestige documentary, and Netflix was producing...

high-profile, really rigorous documentaries that were kind of in the mold of some of the things that Ezra does, really intense investigations, journalistically important. They made the film Icarus, which is about the Russian doping scandal during the Olympics that won the Academy Award. And in the years since, documentaries have been transformed and Netflix has been transformed.

high-profile, really rigorous documentaries that were kind of in the mold of some of the things that Ezra does, really intense investigations, journalistically important. They made the film Icarus, which is about the Russian doping scandal during the Olympics that won the Academy Award. And in the years since, documentaries have been transformed and Netflix has been transformed.

You know, the executive who originally hired Ezra has been let go and new leadership was brought in and they've leaned further and further into certain kinds of documentaries that were skirting away from journalism much more toward entertainment, right? True crime. Celebrity documentary where celebrities began to be producing partners.

You know, the executive who originally hired Ezra has been let go and new leadership was brought in and they've leaned further and further into certain kinds of documentaries that were skirting away from journalism much more toward entertainment, right? True crime. Celebrity documentary where celebrities began to be producing partners.

Megan Markle comes to mind. David Beckham. I mean, there are lots of them now, you know? So they're becoming a global empire. They're one of the largest and most important players in the documentary world. They're the arbiters in some sense of what documentary films are, the direction that they're going in. And now they're just generating tons of content quickly, cheaply, kind of formulaically.

Megan Markle comes to mind. David Beckham. I mean, there are lots of them now, you know? So they're becoming a global empire. They're one of the largest and most important players in the documentary world. They're the arbiters in some sense of what documentary films are, the direction that they're going in. And now they're just generating tons of content quickly, cheaply, kind of formulaically.

And the kind of painstaking, long gestating project like Ezra's is not the currency anymore. I mean, they still make some really good things, but they're able to make a lot more things that aren't that good, but that a lot of people watch. And meanwhile, Ezra's film is all tied up in this complex legal battle.

And the kind of painstaking, long gestating project like Ezra's is not the currency anymore. I mean, they still make some really good things, but they're able to make a lot more things that aren't that good, but that a lot of people watch. And meanwhile, Ezra's film is all tied up in this complex legal battle.

That's my sense. I mean, I interviewed one person familiar with the company who said, you know, why would they want to be tied up with this legal fight when they could just go make 10 more movies? you know, reality shows about real estate, and they can make 10 more celebrity documentaries where they're partnering with the estate.

That's my sense. I mean, I interviewed one person familiar with the company who said, you know, why would they want to be tied up with this legal fight when they could just go make 10 more movies? you know, reality shows about real estate, and they can make 10 more celebrity documentaries where they're partnering with the estate.

So I think for them, the great art versus making a whole bunch of stuff more readily, cost-benefit analysis, you know, my sense is that ultimately they didn't stand by the film.

So I think for them, the great art versus making a whole bunch of stuff more readily, cost-benefit analysis, you know, my sense is that ultimately they didn't stand by the film.

Yeah. I mean, I think it's possible that that's their calculation, that they're making a kind of pure, you know, look at the numbers business decision. I think that's possible. We'll never know because the film just isn't being given a chance to be put in front of an audience. But I think Ezra would totally disagree with that idea.

Yeah. I mean, I think it's possible that that's their calculation, that they're making a kind of pure, you know, look at the numbers business decision. I think that's possible. We'll never know because the film just isn't being given a chance to be put in front of an audience. But I think Ezra would totally disagree with that idea.

So, you know, one argument that was aired when I was talking to people who had seen the film, talking to some people who hadn't seen the film, about even the idea of the film. You know, one thing that was said was essentially an argument about black genius left to stand as celebrated. You know, like white rock stars of similar stature are not...

So, you know, one argument that was aired when I was talking to people who had seen the film, talking to some people who hadn't seen the film, about even the idea of the film. You know, one thing that was said was essentially an argument about black genius left to stand as celebrated. You know, like white rock stars of similar stature are not...