Puck’s Matt Belloni has read the script of Antoine Fuqua’s upcoming Michael Jackson biopic and he has some very bad news for folks who are expecting an even-handed portrayal of the later singer. It’s not happening.
Apparently, again, according to Belloni, the film will be “adulatory” towards Jackson and portray him as the victim of a conspiracy involving “greedy parents.”
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given that the film was approved by the Jackson family estate, but, apparently, the script “wants to very much convince you that Michael is innocent” and “goes to great lengths to minimize and downplay” the controversies.
In the film, scripted by John Logan (The Aviator), Jackson is the “actual victim,” Belloni says. At some point in the script, one of Jackson’s closest confidantes says “it’s not the kids I’m worried about, it’s the parents. He’s opening his doors to tons of people we don’t know and there’s a lot of greedy people out there.”
The takeaway from “Michael” is that Michael Jackson had an abusive father who caused him to become a horribly insecure yet harmless Peter Pan, constantly reliving the childhood he never had. And ultimately, that was weaponized by bad people trying to exploit him […] What’s interesting is how aggressive the script is in the pursuit to make Michael look innocent
Last year, I wrote “the Jackson family estate have given their blessings for this biopic, which probably means a lot of the controversies surrounding Jackson will be watered down.” What else did you expect?
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? During a recent appearance on GMA, Fuqua 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
Did anybody actually 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. Do I believe Jackson was guilty? I have no say in the matter, and I’ve never really sided with either side. It’s a complicated matter, and, as Belloni states, Jackson was never actually found guilty of any of the crimes he was accused of.
By embarking on this project, Fuqua and Logan knew they’d be scurrying landmines depicting the latter half of Jackson’s life. There was no way around it, but, judging by Belloni’s review of the script, they’re pretending those landmines were never there.
Belloni goes on to report that the film cost $155 million to make and Universal/Lionsgate are banking on it grossing close to $1 billion at the box-office. Currently in production, “Michael” is set to hit theaters, worldwide, on April 18, 2025.
Of course, we all know the rule: take these reactions with a grain of salt rather than treating them as gospel. Still, I will say that the film tested like gangbusters earlier this year, and Lionsgate clearly has confidence.