Michael Jackson Biopic Team Touts ‘Unbiased’ Look at Pop Star; ‘Leaving Neverland’ Director Calls Script Draft ‘Startlingly Disingenuous’
variety.comAdam B. Vary Senior Entertainment Writer Since January, the Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” has released a series of announcements of the film’s cast, including recent Oscar nominee Colman Domingo as Jackson’s father, Joe, Nia Long as Jackson’s mother, Katherine, and Miles Teller as John Branca, Jackson’s attorney and the co-executor of his estate.
Each press release includes the same description of the film, promising a “riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant yet complicated man” that will include both Jackson’s “undeniable creative genius” and his “human side and personal struggles.” There is one significant aspect of Jackson’s life, however, that will make that promise practically impossible to fulfill: The multiple allegations that the King of Pop leveraged his global fame to groom prepubescent boys into a sexual relationship.
According to a report by Puck News, which Variety has confirmed, director Antoine Fuqua, producer Graham King and screenwriter John Logan contend with those allegations in their film.
But Jackson always denied them — including during his monthslong criminal trial in 2005 for child molestation and intoxicating a minor, for which he was acquitted.
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