Michael Jackson Biopic Must Reshoot the Entire Third Act

The Michael Jackson biopic Michael has been thrown into disarray by an old contract. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), the film that stars Jackson’s nephew Jaafar in the title role and Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson now has to rework its third act, according to Puck’s Matt Belloni. Currently, the third act is built around the child-molestation investigation of Jackson brought by the Chandler family in 1993, alleging he sexually abused their 13-year-old son, Jordan. However, the Chandlers signed a settlement in the ’90s that prohibits the dramatization of them and their story, according to two sources. One of the Jackson estate executors, John Branca (portrayed by Miles Teller in the film), did not inform the filmmakers until a September 2024 Financial Times report claimed the estate made hush payments to accusers in Finding Neverland — after shooting had wrapped on the $150 million movie.

The film, Belloni says, intended to use the Chandlers’ allegations as its framing device and depict them as “money grubbing.” Previous versions of the Michael Jackson story, like the Broadway musical MJ, entirely avoided the topic of Jackson’s alleged abuse. The Jackson estate had agreed to pay for the film’s required reshoots, though the script is pending final approval from both Lionsgate and the overseas distributor, Universal. Michael is still scheduled to premiere in October 2025, delayed from April.

• [Puck]

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