Netflix is considering slashing scenes featuring One Direction star Liam Payne in the upcoming talent competition Building The Band, fearing backlash from viewers. In the weeks leading up to his death, Mr Payne had been filming the reality series which follows individual singers as they attempt to form the next great band without ever seeing one another, according to a report in Metro.
Mr Payne signed up as a guest judge on the show which also features Nicole Scherzinger and Kelly Rowland with AJ McLean as the host. The show’s future has been put on hold after Mr Payne’s death but it is expected to drop on the streaming service later this year.
“The feeling among execs at Netflix is that they want to err on the side of caution, and if that means having Liam in the least amount of scenes possible then that’s the step they’re willing to take,” a TV insider was cited by the publication.
“They want to strike the right balance between having him feature in the show, doing the thing he loved, with having him feature too much, which would be a lot for his loved ones to contend with.”
Notably, the reality show was one of the last projects from the singer, alongside the track Do No Wrong with North Carolina singer Sam Pounds. As per reports, Mr Payne enjoyed his stint on the show and wanted to continue working with the bands even after the production had wrapped.
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Liam Payne’s death
Mr Payne died in October last year after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The toxicology results shared by the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office revealed that Mr Payne had traces of “alcohol, cocaine, and prescription antidepressants” in his body at the time of the incident.
Born in Wolverhampton, England, Mr Payne rose to fame after appearing on The X Factor in 2008. He joined One Direction in 2010.