Report: HBO MAX Delays “The Prince” Out Of Respect For Recent Passing Of Prince Philip

You may recall a few months ago our report that HBO MAX’s The Prince was slated for premiere by April 2021, with even an Instagram post from creator Gary Janetti seemingly confirming just that. Well, as you can tell, April came and went with no premiere and any mention of it on Disney or HBO MAX marketing was subsequently removed. Now we know why.

The Hollywood Reporter is saying that HBO MAX has delayed The Prince indefinitely out of respect for the recent passing of Prince Philip of whom will be portrayed in the upcoming series by Dan Stevens. The author of the article also humourously surmises that the show might have to “re-draw” Philip which clearly shows the publication’s long-standing misunderstanding of how animation is produced.

The article follows up with the author of a book called Prince Philip’s Century: The Extraordinary Life of the Duke of Edinburgh which comes out June 1st with the writer saying that Philip actually liked jokes though he can understand why the streamer would delay for the foreseeable future.

The Prince is an upcoming American animated sitcom created by Gary Janetti for HBO Max. The Prince will focus on a six-year old Prince George who makes life hard for his family and the British monarchy. Gary voices the lead character and features stars like Orlando Bloom, Sophie Turner, the aforementioned Dan Stevens, and other high-profile names as part of the cast.

Our Take

“Re-draw?” What did you want 20th Television/Bento Box to do, Chris? Make Philip look less dead? In any event, this show is going to make all sorts of waves when it releases and I am here for it. Controversy has already begun to challenge the series with A producer at Disney accused HBO Max and creator Gary Janetti and said, “It’s one thing for film-makers to play fast and loose with the truth in shows like The Crown but poking fun at a seven-year-old child seems cruel and unfair. Some things should be off-limits. It’s morally wrong to use a child to get cheap laughs.” In addition, Kayleigh Donaldson of Pajiba criticized Janetti saying that his work “lacks intent and appropriate targets. It’s just post after post of a 54-year-old man pretending to be a child so that he can spew the mundane level of misogyny that both the general public and the royal media already deal in.”

Personally, this is the exact type of franchise we need to put a shot in the arm of those who have forgotten what comedy and satire are all about. Spitting Image has been going after the Royals for nearly 40 years, why can’t Gary do the same? Is the fear that Philip is going to watch?? That said, every day HBO MAX doesn’t have South Park as an original series, I’m thankful, because think of all of the episodes that would have been delayed if that streamer had it’s way.