Prince George Is Coming to TV — with a Satirical (and Instagram-Inspired!) Twist
Prince George is coming to the small screen — in cartoon form!
HBO Max announced Tuesday that writer and producer Gary Janetti’s satirical Instagram page has inspired The Prince, a new animated comedy series. The popular social media page — which boasts nearly 900,000 followers — spoofs the royal family from the perspective of 6-year-old Prince George (which an extra touch of attitude).
While Janetti will voice the future king, some big names have signed on to voice his royal relatives. Orlando Bloom will give a voice to Prince Harry, Condola Rashad will play Meghan Markle, Lucy Punch as Kate Middleton, Tom Hollander as both Prince Philip and Prince Charles, Alan Cumming as George’s butler Owen, Frances De La Tour as Queen Elizabeth and Iwan Rheon as Prince William.
Janetti, who is known for his work on hit comedy series Will & Grace and Family Guy, said, “I’m thrilled to be working at HBO Max and bringing them yet another series about a family ruthlessly fighting for the throne.” On top of voice acting, Janetti will write and executive produce the series.
“We’re so excited to bring the world Gary’s created on Instagram over to HBO Max, where our viewers can discover what his Instagram fans already know — that George can be hilarious, shocking, and surprisingly sweet,” said Sarah Aubrey, head of original content, HBO Max. “We can’t wait to see what Gary does with a bigger canvas to paint on than just a 1:1 square.”
HBO Max is also in business with Janetti on a series with him and husband Brad Goreski, currently titled Brad and Gary Go To…, which begins production in 2020.
“Hey guys, there’s an opening in the Royal Family.”
A post shared by Gary Janetti (@garyjanetti) on Jan 20, 2020 at 9:56am PST
While Janetti’s Prince George often targeted Aunt Meghan, the TV writer shifted to a more sympathetic approach to the Duchess of Sussex amid heightened media scrutiny in the U.K. this fall.
“I haven’t really watched [the ITV documentary], so I don’t really know that much about it, but I do know it feels like they’re having a rough go of it — I think that’s the gist,” Janetti told PEOPLE two days after Harry & Meghan: An African Journey aired in the U.K.
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Meghan and Prince Harry‘s emotional documentary found the 38-year-old opening up about the stress of being a new mom in the public eye, saying in a viral clip that “not many people have asked if I’m okay.”
“The way I see it, in my world, she is family, they are family, and George rallies around family,” Janetti says of his latest memes, including one where the fictionalized George tells Meghan they’re going on a spa day together. “Now he sees that people and the press have piled on her, he doesn’t like it, and he’s rallying around the family. As of now, Meghan — he wants to take her under his wing. Now we’re seeing George might secretly like her. You know, he does not like to kick somebody when they’re down.”
