A new Michael Jackson biopic will shortly arrive in cinemas telling the story of the King of Pop’s early career, but it’s a tightly controlled story that avoids any reference to the child sex abuse allegations that dogged his later life.
Titled “Michael” and beset by production and legal problems, it spans his childhood in Gary, Indiana, and climaxes with the moonwalking megastar performing in London during his Bad World Tour.
Distributors Lionsgate are hoping for global revenues of $700 million from a production budget of $200 million, which would push it close to the $910 million earned by “Bohemian Rhapsody” in 2018 — a record for a musical biopic.
Made by the same producer as the Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody”, Graham King, it features Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson in the main role, a 29-year-old with no previous acting experience.
“They threw me right in the deep end,” Jaafar told US talkshow host Jimmy Fallon earlier this month, adding that he had been helped with the dancing by his uncle’s real-life choreographers.
“It was really a surreal, spiritual moment,” he said of playing one of the most recognisable characters in pop music.
– ‘Controlled narrative’ –
Jaafar Jackson delivers a strong performance as the gloved and thrusting singer, while the concert scenes are sure to delight fans of the “Thriller” and “Bad” albums.
At the Berlin premiere on April 10, Jackson’s sons Prince and Bigi were joined on the red carpet with his brother Jermaine — Jaafar’s father.
All the surviving Jackson siblings are credited as executive producers, meaning they all had a right to review the film before its global release from Wednesday.
But the involvement of the family has led to accusations that the film sugar-coats the image of a man who was dogged by sexual abuse allegations before his death by overdose in 2009, aged 50.
His daughter Paris, who had no involvement, has been one of the most outspoken critics.
“A big section of the film panders to a very specific section of my dad’s fandom that still lives in the fantasy, and they’re gonna be happy with it,” the actress and singer wrote on Instagram last September.
“The narrative is being controlled and there’s a lot of inaccuracy and there’s a lot of just full-blown lies.”
– ‘Human story’ –
A third of the original film exploring allegations against the star had to be cut and re-shot.
Lawyers for the Jackson estate realised there was a clause in a settlement with one of the singer’s accusers, Jordan Chandler, that barred any mention of him in a film, Variety film magazine reported.
Although Jackson was never convicted in criminal or civil court, other alleged victims filed lawsuits after his death, several of which are still active.
The film was originally scheduled for release in April 18, 2025 before being pushed back by a year.
Several documentaries including 2003’s “Living with Michael Jackson” and 2019’s “Leaving Neverland” focused on his habit of inviting children to spend nights with him.
“I would love that the film would tell the most human story about Michael Jackson possible,” Mark Anthony Neal, professor of African and African American Studies at Duke University, told AFP recently.
“But I also realise that we’re in a period of time where Hollywood does not deal with celebrities in that way.”
The film is almost certain to give another boost to the money-spinning family franchise.
“MJ: The Musical” opened on Broadway in 2022 and has been staged in other countries, while the Cirque du Soleil production “Michael Jackson ONE” has been running in Las Vegas since 2013.
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