Harry & Meghan Are Working With A Canadian Author To Adapt Her Ontario-Based Book Into A Film
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are teaming up with a Canadian author to adapt her best-selling book into a Netflix film.
Carley Fortune confirmed that she will be working with Harry and Meghan's company Archewell Productions and Netflix for the project in an Instagram post on Monday.
"I never thought I’d be making this announcement, but since I am, it feels fitting that I’m doing it from the cottage where it all began," the former journalist-turned-author wrote in the caption and included a picture of herself and her book.
"I’m thrilled to confirm that I’m teaming up with Netflix and Archewell productions on the adaption of Meet Me at the Lake. Will and Fern’s love story is dear to my heart, and I can’t imagine a more perfect partnership. Writing this book was a tremendous personal challenge, and to see it recognized in this way is truly incredible."
According to The Sun, it's believed that Meghan and Harry paid up to $3 million USD for the rights to Fortune's book.
Meet Me at the Lake is about two strangers (Fern Brookbanks and Will Baxter) who spend a daylong adventure together in Toronto and make a pact to meet one year later.
However, one of them keeps the promise and the other one doesn't. Years later when the pair is in their 30s, they meet again when Brookbanks is running her mother's Muskoka resort, as per a Goodreads description.
Forbes reports that Meet Me at the Lake spent five weeks on the New York Times bestsellers list since it was published in May.
According to The Sun, the themes in the book, including childhood trauma, losing a parent in a car crash, mental health and post-natal depression, spoke to Harry and Meghan.
"The themes of the book gripped the couple and it was chosen for their first adaptation with Netflix," an insider told the outlet.
It's unclear when and where the Netflix project will be filmed, but Fortune's book is set in Muskoka and Toronto so hopefully that means those locations will be kept as is.
Meghan has ties to Toronto since that's where she lived for years during her time filming the show Suits.
Harry and Meghan stepped away from their royal duties in 2020 and lived for a short time in Canada before moving to Los Angeles. They have since signed a five-year contract with Netflix to produce a series of projects, as per Forbes.
In December 2022, Netflix released Harry & Meghan, a documentary about the couple's relationship from how they met up and why they decided to leave the U.K. Forbes says the couple is also working with Netflix on a docuseries called Heart of Invictus, but no premiere date has been announced.
Meet Me at the Lake will be the couple's third project with Netflix.
Narcity has reached out to Fortune for a comment on the announcement but we did not hear back by the time the story was published.
Emily Clarkson's statement.