Ex-Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is at the center of Hollywood’s latest race for royal drama.

Netflix is reportedly considering reviving The Crown for a limited series chronicling his downfall following his arrest in connection with Jeffrey Epstein.

The former Duke of York was arrested on February 19, his 66th birthday, on suspicion of misconduct in public office after allegedly forwarding confidential trade documents to Epstein.

His arrest, described as “historic and unprecedented” by insiders, has sparked fierce competition among studios to dramatize the scandal.

According to sources to Daily Mail, Netflix and The Crown producers Left Bank Pictures have been in “advanced talks” about creating one-off specials under the show’s banner.

Insider described the potential saga as “as dramatic, if not more dramatic” than the abdication of Edward VIII or Princess Diana’s death, both previously covered in the original series.

Disney Studios and Amazon MGM are also circling the story.

“We have been bombarded with screenwriters wanting to bring this story to us. The race is on in Hollywood to be the first studio to bring out an Andrew film,” a Disney source told the outlet.

Screenwriter Jeremy Brock, who penned Amazon MGM’s A Very Royal Scandal, echoed the sentiment.

He told the outlet both Netflix and Amazon are “100 percent” in talks to make a drama based on the scandal.

Royal Fallout

King Charles has issued a statement expressing his “deepest concern,” stressing that “the law must take its course.”

Meanwhile, the British government is debating legislation that could remove Andrew from the royal line of succession.

Zack Snyder has marked the 10th anniversary of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with a not-so-subtle defence of the film, and a few revealing stories about just how contentious it was, even before it reached cinemas.

Appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Snyder looked back on the 2016 comic book tentpole, which opened to largely negative reviews on 25th March of that year but still went on to gross $874 million worldwide. 

A decade on, the director shows no sign of second-guessing his choices.

“My 100% honest reaction to BvS and how it’s received in the world is… Do you really want a movie that’s had all the edges shaved off it by the focus groups?” he said. 

“Do you really want a movie where the decisions have been made in a boardroom, or tested ideas have been rendered for your enjoyment? Do you really want the Kmart version of your story? Is that what you really want?”

Reflecting on the broader reaction to the film and his approach to the DC characters, Snyder was philosophical. 

“You realize then that we were kicking the zeitgeist in the n-ts and that we were going to anger people,” he said. 

“Not only do they not want their heroes deconstructed, they don’t want their heroes battling each other on a road to deconstructing the why of their existence. That’s another sacrilege.”

Batman v Superman was the second film in what became known online as the SnyderVerse, following Man of Steel and leading into Justice League, a production that took on a life of its own after Snyder departed due to a family tragedy and Joss Whedon was brought in to complete it.

The subsequent fan campaign to release Snyder’s original cut became one of the most vocal movements in modern cinema history, eventually resulting in Zack Snyder’s Justice League debuting on HBO Max in 2021.

Snyder spoke warmly about those fans, pushing back on criticism of their reputation. 

“The fans should never forget they did that. They also raised a ton of money for suicide prevention. They did a lot of good. They catch a lot of flak for being toxic or whatever, but they literally saved human lives. You can go f–k yourselves if that’s what you think.”

The SnyderVerse ultimately ended before he could complete his planned trilogy of Justice League films, though he hasn’t entirely closed the door on revisiting those stories in other formats. 

“We live in a world where all that is possible,” he said, confirming he has “absolutely talked about” bringing those unmade films to life through animation or comics.

Lisa Rinna and Andy Cohen have put their very public falling out behind them, with the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star confirming the two have reconciled after three years of tension.

The rift between them dated back to Cohen’s memoir, in which the Bravo executive shared private text messages exchanged between himself and Rinna surrounding her exit from RHOBH in 2023, a move that caused a significant fracture in what had been a long friendship. 

But in an interview with E! News, Rinna, 62, made clear that things have moved on.

“As humans, we evolve, we grow, we change and we learn from things,” she said. 

“Andy and I have done that. I’ve pissed him off. He’s pissed me off. We’ve gone through a lot, and he really is a dear friend.” She added with a laugh, “He’s always been a champion, until he hasn’t.”

The reconciliation happened when Rinna recently returned to Watch What Happens Live for her first appearance since the feud began. 

Cohen, 57, used the occasion to apologise to her in person, and by all accounts it was a meaningful moment for both of them. 

“It was a beautiful moment,” Rinna told E! News, describing it as “life-changing, healing and cathartic.” 

She added, “We really do respect one another and care for one another. I just was so moved by it. It meant the world to me.”

For anyone wondering whether the reunion signals a return to RHOBH, Rinna was characteristically blunt. “No,” she said simply. “I’m grateful for my time at Bravo. I learned a lot.”