Lionsgate, which is distributing Antoine Fuqua’s “Michael” biopic, announced in November that the film was being delayed from April to October. What the studio didn’t specify, for obvious reasons, was why they pushed the film back by almost seven months.
It turns out that the third act of the Michael Jackson biopic has been completely scrapped and will have to be reshot due to some major legal issues. The third act focused on the 1993 investigation into Jordan Chandler’s claim that Michael Jackson sexually abused him at 13 years old. Jackson’s estate forgot they signed a deal with the Chandler family years ago to never include them in any dramatic reenactment, let alone a movie, rendering the third act unusable.
If you recall, Puck’s Matt Belloni wrote about this movie last April. He had been given the script for “Michael,” and as he read it, was surprised by “how aggressively the project sought to change the narrative” on the Jackson allegations. The movie is said to address these allegations head on, and as Belloni wrote, “wants very much to convince you Michael is innocent.”
The film’s third act, in particular, hinges specifically on the impact of the Chandler circus. In the script Belloni read, a tense sequence involves Jackson’ lawyers (Teller), and Johnnie Cochran (Derek Luke), discussing whether to pay off Chandler and his family.
At one point, the lawyers play the infamous recording, submitted in court, of Jordan’s father threatening to leverage his son’s accusations to “destroy” his ex-wife and Jackson’s career. The ensuing scenes dramatize the extensive police investigation, including a “traumatizing” strip search of Michael that scars him for life.
According to Belloni’s two sources, there’s a signed agreement with the Chandlers prohibiting any dramatization of them or their stories. That deal, which was overlooked by the estate during the vetting of the script, has now rendered the planned storyline and several key scenes that were shot unusable.
This has turned into a nightmare for Fuqua and company. If “Michael” now can’t “dramatize” the Chandler claims, which are said to be the “backbone” of the film, what, exactly, will the third act be about?
Fuqua, and screenwriter John Logan have been attempting rewrites for weeks now. They’ve finally settled on a new draft of the script, and are set to submit it to Lionsgate for approval as early as this week. There are booked sets and soundstages ready for March reshoots.
Given all of this drama, don’t be surprised if the film doesn’t hit its targeted October release date. Unusual circumstances have turned “Michael” into the type of project that Universal — who is distributing the film overseas — might not want to take part in.
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.