Nobody knows what to make of the new Michael Jackson biopic<\/a>. As fans cosplay with Thriller <\/em>jackets and moonwalk down theater aisles, critics say that the new film, Michael<\/em><\/a>, looks at the artist\u2019s career with rose-colored glasses. The film, starring Jackson\u2019s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, doesn\u2019t mention Jackson\u2019s later legal struggles or allegations of child abuse. Michael<\/em> doesn\u2019t feature Janet Jackson at all\u2014at the singer\u2019s request\u2014and the plot ends with a \u201cHis story continues” tag following his 1988 Bad Tour <\/em>performance. Naturally, the film reignites questions about how to separate an artist\u2019s work from the allegations around them, as well as whether Michael<\/em> had an obligation to address the darker side of his career.<\/p>\n There are no easy answers to any of these questions, but the team behind Michael <\/em>is rallying around the response to the film\u2019s criticisms so far. In an interview with Deadline<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>director Antoine Fuqua stated that it might have been too jarring to include Jackson\u2019s sexual abuse allegations in a movie meant to celebrate him. Not only that, but the studio is also considering including the allegations in a potential sequel. Basically, they\u2019re saying, We\u2019re getting to that. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWhat we realized, if you start there, some people who don\u2019t know Michael, it\u2019s out of context,\u201d Fuqua said. \u201cIt was important to take the audience through a process of how do you get to wherever it\u2019s going to go in a second movie; for people to get a bigger idea of his personality and what shaped him.\u201d<\/p>\n Colman Domingo, who plays Michael\u2019s father Joe Jackson, also told Today <\/em><\/a>that critics may see more of Jackson\u2019s life in a sequel. \u201cThere’s a possibility of there being a part two, that may deal with some other things that happen afterwards,” Domingo said. “This is about the making of Michael, how he was raised, and then how he was trying to find his voice as an artist and be a solo artist. That’s what I have to say about that.”<\/p>\n Michael Jackson\u2019s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, portrays the singer in the new biopic, Michael<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n I don\u2019t get a strong feeling from the crowd\u2019s reaction so far that they would be interested in a dark, courtroom drama sequel to this bright, king-making music biopic. But according to The New York Times<\/em><\/a>, the allegations were actually a major part of the film before legal issues forced the filmmakers to scrap them from the movie entirely.<\/p>\n Apparently, a settlement from one of Jackson\u2019s first allegations in 1993 included a clause that barred the victim from being depicted in film or television about Jackson\u2019s life moving forward. \u201cNeither side was allowed to do anything about publicizing or communicating what occurred, except to the extent that the family was allowed to talk to the police and testify under oath,\u201d the lawyer who negotiated the settlement told the Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n Michael <\/em>producer Graham King also revealed in an interview on The Today Show Australia<\/em><\/a>, \u201cWe had a legal issue we found out after we finished shooting the film, that the estate didn’t realize at the time\u2026 So it was a little bit of a shock.” As it turns out, that same victim wasn\u2019t mentioned in the well-known Leaving Neverland <\/em>(2019) documentary that featured interviews with other alleged victims either.<\/p>\n So, after learning about the legal troubles potentially coming their way, Lionsgate reportedly took on $50 million worth of reshoots and scrapped the allegations from the film entirely. Now, the studio is attempting to frame the switch-up as potential grounds for a second movie. \u201cThe unusual circumstances gave us the opportunity to shoot more material for what is effectively a Part 1\u2014the making of a king\u2014while preserving the opportunity to tell more story in a subsequent film or films,\u201d a Lionsgate spokesman told The New York Times<\/em><\/a>. It\u2019s a glass half full approach\u2014and it just might work out for Lionsgate.<\/p>\n The Michael <\/em>movie ends with Michael Jackson\u2019s 1988 Bad Tour<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n Of course, there\u2019s also much more of Jackson\u2019s life and music to explore outside of the allegations. Following Bad, <\/em>1991\u2019s Dangerous <\/em>included \u201cBlack or White,\u201d \u201cJam,\u201d and \u201cRemember the Time.\u201d Jackson then performed at the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show in Pasadena, California in 1993. Plus, his 1995 hit \u201cYou Are Not Alone\u201d is the first song to ever debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Jackson\u2019s tenth studio album, Invincible<\/em>, was the most expensive album of all time when it released in 2001, and he was planning what would have been one of the most lucrative tours of all time in 2009, This Is It<\/em>, right until his death just three weeks before the first show.<\/p>\n It also helps that Michael <\/em>is performing exceptionally well at the box office. Variety<\/em><\/a> reported the film was an \u201cinstant sensation,\u201d opening with $97 million domestically and $217 million globally in its first weekend. It\u2019s the second-biggest debut of the year so far, just behind The Super Mario Galaxy Movie<\/em>.<\/p>\n So, even though the film was never intended to be broken up into multiple parts, Lionsgate is now seriously considering greenlighting another film about Jackson\u2019s life post-Bad<\/em>. The box office earnings may convince them even if it seems impossible. But how much the film will actually explore Jackson\u2019s allegations is another question entirely.<\/p>\n![\"michael](\"https:\/\/hips.hearstapps.com\/hmg-prod\/images\/f8683e34-86c4-416e-ac98-d96756b39df2.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*\" "\\"michael")
<\/p>\n