Get ready for some major controversy to emerge once this one kicks off production and eventually gets released.
Universal has announced that they will be in charge of theatrical global distribution for Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic, still untitled. Not just that, but the script has been written, the actors have been cast and it’s going to start shooting the minute the SAG-AFTRA strike ends.
There was obviously going to be backlash against Fuqua’s Lionsgate-produced biopic. I would think the makers behind the film very well knew this in advance.
The project also comes nearly four years after Dan Reed’s HBO documentary “Leaving Neverland” layed out new claims against the late singer. In a recent op-ed for The Guardian, Reed aggressively came out against this MJ biopic getting made, reiterating his criticisms of Jackson and why he still believed the singer was guilty.
The Jackson family estate has given their blessings for this biopic, which probably means a lot of the controversies surrounding Jackson will be watered down. I mean, should we expect anything else?
An original statement from Fuqua had mentioned that the film would be “dealing squarely” with the late singer’s tumultuous life. What does that even mean? In August, Fuqua was a guest on GMA, and he was asked about tackling the late Jackson’s life on-screen:
He was a great artist. He was Human. We're gonna show the good, bad and the ugly...We just gonna tell the FACTS.
Does anybody believe him? The only way this film works is if the Jackson estate gets riled up by it and, subsequently, disowns it. There’s no other way to properly depict Jackson (whether he was guilty or not). You want to see the flawed icon on-screen, no watered down version.
Hiring Jackson’s nephew Jafaar Jackson to play the “King of Pop” was peculiar casting. He needs to be ready for a heavy dose of makeup because Jackson’s look kept “evolving” in the ‘80s, ‘90s and ‘00s. I’m honestly, guiltily, looking forward to this one.
The screenplay will be penned by John Logan, for whom it has been a decade-long passion project. Logan had previously penned Scott’s “Gladiator,” Scorsese’s “The Aviator” Burton’s “Sweeney Todd,” and Mendes’ “Skyfall”, so the film is in good hands.
Fuqua and Logan will no doubt be scurrying through landmines depicting the latter half of Jackson’s life. The Jackson family giving firm approval for this film to happen means that this will be a biased depiction of the late singer’s controversies.
I should warn you: based on everything I’ve heard, this teaser is a total misdirection. The movie is not at all what it’s being portrayed as here. In fact, most of the footage in the teaser comes from the first few minutes of the film.