Michael Jackson Biopic Undergoes Costly Reshoots After Estate Discovery of 1990s Legal Agreement
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“Michael,” the new biopic about Michael Jackson’s triumphant but traumatized life, underwent costly reshoots when Jackson’s estate discovered a legal agreement from the ’90s preventing the film from depicting a child who had alleged the star sexually abused him at the time. Instead, the movie’s central conflict is between the Jackson 5 patriarch, Joseph Jackson, and the family group he drove to superstardom, particularly Michael, its dynamic frontman.
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Rolling Stone CultureThis legal drama flared up just as the Jackson family and estate were gearing up for the biggest moment for the late King of Pop in years: The release of the Antoine Fuqua-directed biopic, Michael. Long in the works, and beset by delays and reshoots, the film is finally set to hit theaters on April 24, with Jackson’s own nephew, Jaafar Jackson, in the title role. Early box-office predictions indicate it will be a massive success and eventually bounce back from a budget that those aforementioned delays caused to balloon to a reported $200 million.
Washington Times CultureEven in the lucrative market of music biopics, “Michael” was an audacious bet by Lionsgate on an extraordinarily popular but controversial figure. The reputation of Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50, has been repeatedly tarnished by allegations of sexual abuse of children. Jackson and his estate have maintained his innocence, though the pop star acknowledged sharing a bedroom with other people’s children. He was acquitted in his sole criminal trial in 2005.
Vanity FairThe road to Michael (2026), the long-anticipated biopic about controversial superstar Michael Jackson, has been nearly as dramatic as the life of its subject. A combination of external pressures and mishaps—from the involvement of the Michael Jackson estate to legal restrictions that came into play only after production was complete—reshaped the film, leading to delays, expensive reshoots, and a completely rewritten third act. On top of that, intra-Jackson family turmoil may have added to the drama surrounding what was initially meant to be the definitive, “unflinching” portrait of the troubled icon. Here’s a breakdown of the very fraught making of Michael.
The Guardian CultureMichael tracks 20 years of Jackson’s life, slamming the history book shut well in advance of the multiple allegations of child sexual abuse that dogged him from 1993 and resurfaced after the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland (which was removed from HBO’s streaming platform after the Jackson estate pursued legal action). It’s so allergic to making audiences consider Jackson’s desires – a strange choice given the sexuality of his breakout adult solo albums and of his dancing – that in scenes of the star’s personal life, the character is completely neutered, eating strawberry ice-cream, reading children’s books and watching classic movies at home with his mum. The film never questions this.
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Suit is part of effort to hold suspect and any still unknown perpetrators accountable, says rapper’s stepbrotherThe stepbrother of Tupac Shakur has filed a lawsuit against the man set to go on trial for the rapper’s 1996 killing. The suit is part of an effort to hold the alleged killer and any still unknown perpetrators accountable, Maurice Shakur says.“Many individuals who were involved have long since passed away, while others have been hard to identify,” the suit states. “Yet, one thing is certain: there remain individuals who were involved in Tupac’s murder who, for 30 years, have not been held accountable for their crimes.” Continue reading...
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NYT ArtsMaurice Shakur said in a complaint filed against Duane Keith Davis, who was charged in 2023 with the rapper’s murder, that the “threads are starting to come together.”
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A huge chunk of the film had to be cut. Reshoots for as much as $50 million were done at the estate’s expense. Director Antoine Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan reworked the movie to conclude in 1988, before any accusations were made.
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The Guardian CultureA huge chunk of the film was cut and reshoots for as much as $50m were done at the estate’s expense. Director Antoine Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan reworked the movie to conclude in 1988, before any accusations were made.
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The Cascio family, who met Jackson in the late-Eighties, previously referred to themselves as Jackson’s “second family” in interviews. Like Safechuck and Robson, they were among Jackson’s defenders during his 2005 criminal trial. The Cascios said Robson and Safechuck’s claims in Leaving Neverland led them to reckon with their experiences with Jackson and come forward with their allegations.
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NYT ArtsThe Cascios had become, as they often said, Mr. Jackson’s “second family.” So a year and a half after Mr. Jackson’s death, the family came forward to talk to Oprah at length about their special relationship — and also to shield their friend from the ugly sexual abuse accusations that had long trailed him.
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01 NYT Style With a new biopic crushing at the box office, a reflection on the industry’s selective memory around MJ. Plus, cowboy Crocs.
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02 The Guardian Culture Is the movie’s credulous reading of Jackson’s inherent innocence cowardly avoidance of real-life messiness, or a weird form of daring? Michael often takes the tone of rightwing-coded movies that don’t come out and say anything prejudicial, but include dog whistles intended to snap certain audiences to attention. It doesn’t want to sound like the obsessive Jackson-innocent rantings of a stan army, but it doesn’t want to be subjected to their ire, either. That’s probably more of a side-effect than a primary goal of the actual film-makers – but the side-effect comes from the Jackson estate essentially acting as the (barely) more respectable iteration of those online warriors.
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03 Washington Times Culture Some Jackson family members opposed the film. Janet Jackson was uninvolved and doesn’t appear in it. Jackson’s daughter, Paris, called it “fantasy land.” But three years after “Leaving Neverland,” the 2009 documentary about Jackson’s alleged sexual abuse of children, “Bohemian Rhapsody” producer Graham King announced plans for the biopic. Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, was cast to star.
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04 Vanity Fair Seven years ago, in a fugue of #MeToo-era righteousness, I edited Vanity Fair’s laudatory review of Reed’s film and gave our piece a headline that now seems painfully naive: “Leaving Neverland May Do What No Other Michael Jackson Exposé Could.”
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05 NYT Arts In December 2010, Oprah Winfrey invited Dominic and Connie Cascio and three of their five children onto her talk show to discuss Michael Jackson.
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06 Rolling Stone Culture In February of this year, four adult siblings filed a bombshell child sex-trafficking lawsuit against the estate of Michael Jackson. Brought by Frank, Dominic, Marie-Nicole, and Aldo Cascio, the suit — which accused Jackson of being a “serial child predator” — was filed about a month after the family tried to void a financial settlement with the Jackson estate which they described as “unlawful.” (“We categorically dispute these claims,” a lawyer for the estate said in court.)
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