Harry and Meghan to make war film for Netflix based on Afghanistan memoir
By Catherine Wylie, Press Association
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are making a war film based on an Afghanistan memoir for Netflix.
US outlet Deadline said the film will tell the story of Easy Company, a unit of Paras and Royal Irish Rangers tasked with holding a district in Helmand Province in July 2006, who came under attack from the Taliban.
The film, called No Way Out: The Searing True Story of Men Under Siege, is based on the memoir by Major Adam Jowett, who led the unit.
The subject matter will be familiar territory for former soldier Harry who served two frontline tours in Afghanistan.
In late 2007, he embarked on a 10-week tour of duty fighting the Taliban in Helmand Province, operating as a battlefield air controller behind enemy lines.
The secret mission, however, ended early after it was leaked on the internet.
Upon his return, Harry was dubbed the “Warrior Prince”, “Harry the Brave”, and “One of Our Boys” by the press for fighting for his country.
The duke was promoted from second lieutenant to lieutenant in April 2008.
Hoping to go back to Afghanistan, he retrained and qualified as an Apache helicopter pilot after rigorous training in Britain and America.
He was promoted to the rank of captain in April 2011 and was also awarded his Apache Badge from the officer in command of his Squadron at the same time.
In September 2012, he made it back to Afghanistan for a 20-week stint which gave him the chance to use his Apache flying skills and head out on operations in his role as co-pilot gunner.
Kensington Palace officially confirmed Harry’s departure from the Army in March 2015, marking the end of 10 years of service.
Harry and Meghan signed a watered down, first look deal with Netflix last year, which gave the streaming giant first option on projects by the Sussexes’ Archewell Productions.
Figures showed earlier this year that the duchess’s With Love, Meghan second season failed to crack the top 1,000 most-watched programmes on the platform.
Her lifestyle company As Ever, which sells jams, herbal teas and chocolates, was meanwhile revealed to have ended its partnership with Netflix in March, with a spokesperson saying the brand was “now ready to stand on its own”.
The couple are helping to produce a new polo-themed drama for Netflix, set in the town of Wellington, Florida, following two rival teams and the families that lead them.
Harry and Meghan previously executive produced the 2024 docuseries Polo which captured a behind-the-scenes look into professional polo players’ lives on and off the field.
