Things Are “Bad” For Upcoming Michael Jackson Biopic Following Lawsuit
It was news to us that a Michael Jackson biopic directed by Antoine Fuqua was in the can and prepped for a 2025 theatrical run, and even more news to us that the third act of the film allegedly revolves around a restoration project for the deceased singer.
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last 40 years, or you’re 13 (go do your homework!), Michael Jackson’s Mount Rushmore of Pop career was waylaid by sexual assault allegations brought on him by a myriad of pre-teen boys in the 1990s and 2000s. As the singer’s career waned in his unfortunate final years, he retreated into his home at Neverland Ranch, and passed away in 2009 at the age of 50 from acute propofol intoxication.
So what’s the deal? Produced by Graham King (Bohemian Rhapsody), with a script from Gladiator screenwriter John Logan, the film features major involvement from the Jackson estate, including a starring role from Jackson’s nephew Jaafar, and yes, the third act of the film allegedly dives into the sexual assault claims made against the King of Pop - and that’s where things are going off the rails.
In the Puck newsletter from journalist Matt Belloni, it’s reported that the final act of the Michael biopic can’t be screened legally. Belloni has seen the script for the film, and he notes that end of the film focuses on the lawsuit against Jackson by Evan Chandler, who’s 13-year-old son Jordan who accuses Jackson of sexual abuse. Belloni states that the script is insistent on Jackson’s innocence, and that it “depicts Jackson as the naïve victim of the money-grubbing Chandler.”
Chandler’s lawsuit was settled out of court, and Jackson was later found not guilty in two different sex-abuse cases. In Belloni’s newsletter, he reports that the final act of the film is centered on the conversations Jackson had with lawyers like Johnny Cochran and John Branca about whether or not to pay the Chandler family. Making matters more confusing, Branca is one of the executors of Jackson’s estate and a producer on the film. He will be portrayed onscreen by Miles Teller.
According to Puck, the movie will be legally prohibited from using any of the scenes about the scenes in the third act, due to Jackson’s out-of-court settlement with the Chandlers. Reportedly, the agreement stops Jackson’s estate from using the Chandlers in any kind of dramatic story. The film reportedly has a budget of $150 millions, but if it makes it to screen it’s going to have to undergo major rewrites and reshoots.
