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Why the Michael Jackson Movie Doesn't Cover Sexual Abuse Allegations
Cutting Room Floor An early storyline in Michael centered on allegations made by 13-year-old Jordan Chandler. It was nixed after filmmakers learned it violated terms of a $20 million settlement In 2024, the creative team behind the Michael Jackson biopic got the kind of news that all Hollywood productions dread: Extensive reshoots were required. The film, announced in 2022 and delayed by the 2023 strikes, had finally begun production in January 2024 and principal photography had wrapped a few months later. Reshoots aren’t necessarily uncommon, but rather than needing to add or reconfigure a few scenes, Michael needed a drastic overhaul. The story wasn’t working. Not because of a convoluted plot or half-baked characters. Rather, the film director Antoine Fuqua had made was a gigantic legal liability, violating the terms of a settlement with one of the boys who’d accused Michael Jackson of sexual abuse. In 1993, Jordan Chandler accused the King of Pop of molesting him. The allegations prompted a Los Angeles Police Department investigation, and Chandler’s family sued. Jackson eventually settled with the Chandlers in 1994 for about $20 million, after which the family stopped cooperating with the police and the case was closed with no charges. (Jackson repeatedly denied Chandler’s allegations, as well as all future accusations of sexual abuse.) The Chandler saga was a key part of Fuqua’s original film, according to numerous reports. But it turned out the terms of the family’s settlement with Jackson forbade any kind of dramatized depiction of events surrounding his accusations. Speaking recently with The New York Times, Larry Feldman, Chandler’s lawyer who negotiated the settlement, said the deal stipulated that “neither side was allowed to do anything about publicizing or communicating what occurred, except to the extent that the Chandler family was allowed to talk to the police and testify under oath.” After being told that Fuqua had not only incorporated the Chandler story into his original version of the film, but had largely painted Jackson as the victim of an extortion scheme by Chandler’s father, Feldman said, “That’s exactly what they couldn’t do.” Editor’s picks Fuqua and the Michael creative team — including screenwriter John Logan and lead producer Graham King — reportedly learned about the settlement sometime in fall 2024. In November of that year, it was revealed that the film had been pushed from its original April 2025 release date to Octo...
Will There Be a Michael Jackson Movie Sequel?
After the audience at this week’s Michael premiere was treated to over two hours’ worth of hits, a title card came across the screen. In shimmery gold lettering, it read: “His Story Continues.” For many of the stakeholders behind the Michael Jackson biopic, or anyone who has read the hundreds of headlines Michael and its unexpectedly protracted production generated over the past year, the proclamation could be read as either a defiant declaration or an open-ended question about the status of a Michael: Part 2. The biopic was never intended to be a two-parter, but for the last year, under a messy cloud of reshoots and pushed release dates, the idea of splitting the film took form. The title card was a relatively last-minute addition, according to a knowledgeable insider, who says it was only put in about a month ago, when the filmmakers and the studios behind Michael began to realize how successful the movie could become. Clearly, studios Lionsgate and Universal, the Jackson Estate, and filmmakers including producer Graham King and director Antoine Fuqua wanna be startin’ somethin’. Still, a source tells THR that the script for that potential second film from writer John Logan has yet to be finished, and insiders claim nothing will be officially decided until Michael opens April 24. “We absolutely have more story to tell,” Lionsgate film chair Adam Fogelson told THR on the red carpet at Monday night’s premiere. “We have prepared for that moment. And if the audience reinforces that they’re ready for more, we’re prepared to give it to them sooner rather than later.” But, Fogelson noted, the decision to make a sequel won’t be determined by box office totals alone but also by fan desire for more of Jackson’s story. Of a sequel, King said at the premiere, “We’re definitely kicking around some ideas. We’ll see what happens very soon, but right now, I have so much anxiety about people seeing this one.” Lionsgate is handling the domestic release of Michael, with Universal taking on international distribution. When it came on early tracking, Michael was estimated to earn $55 million to $60 million in domestic ticket sales; it has since increased to $65 to $70 million. And Jackson’s international fanbase should not be underestimated. The film kicked off its press tour with a premiere in Berlin, Germany, which included a three-day fan experience. Michael’s international ticket sales are anticipated to add big gains to its box office total, with an expected glo...
Controversies and Production Issues Around 'Michael,' the Jackson ...
So read the invitation for the Los Angeles premiere of " Michael," a film about Michael Jackson's life up to 1988 — before the first child molestation accusations surfaced.
'Michael' Cast On Why Child Abuse Allegations Not Included In Film
As Michael Jackson fans flock to the theaters, many are questioning how a new biopic avoids the child sexual abuse allegations against the artist.
