Antoine Dee’s Michael Jackson biopic is set to hit theaters on April 24, after years of delays.
If there’s one place where “Michael” is sure to receive a warm welcome, it’s Gary, Indiana, where the late pop star grew up with his brothers, who are also celebrities.
Their home, featured in The Jacksons’ 1989 hit “2300 Jackson Street,” is now a tourist attraction, and the town’s only high school hosted a reception for family members who came to see the new film about their most famous former resident, starring his nephew, Jaffer.
The town’s mayor, Eddie D. Mayor Melton, speaking at a panel discussion about the film’s production and the Jackson family legacy, told CNN, referring to the sexual abuse allegations against the late Michael Jackson, “I don’t think there’s a need to go into the details of those allegations.”
The accusations of child molestation and sexual abuse that Jackson faced both during his life and after his death have long divided his fans. The new film is expected to generate similar controversy. While some fans are expected to praise it, others will likely criticize its approach to his complex legacy, a particularly difficult issue when examining the life of the King of Pop.
Milton described the new film as “brilliant,” and, referring to Michael Jackson, said, “I think we need to celebrate his place in our hearts and minds at this particular moment. But also what he gave to the world… His music changed so many lives.” The original version of the film dealt with the 1993 case in which Jackson was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy, but it required extensive revisions after it was discovered that the settlement of approximately $25 million reached with the plaintiff and his family prohibited Jackson’s estate from mentioning the case in any film about his life, according to a report in Book magazine.
Variety, which recently spoke with sources familiar with the matter, reported that Jackson’s estate covered the costs of the reshoots, which ranged between $10 million and $15 million.
Jackson’s estate was involved in the production from the beginning and reportedly knew the original script. CNN has contacted representatives of the estate.
Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50, maintained his innocence of all child molestation and other crimes, including charges brought against him in 2003 from which he was later acquitted. His estate continues to deny all allegations against him.
Earlier this year, new allegations surfaced against Jackson when four adult members of a family closely associated with the singer filed a lawsuit accusing him of being a “serial child molester” who drugged, raped, sexually abused, and abused them as children.
The lawsuit also accuses Jackson of sex trafficking, with some of the alleged crimes occurring during domestic and international travel, including stops on his “Dangerous World Tour.”
The family has previously appeared in the media to discuss their relationship with the singer, including an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Marty Singer, the lawyer for Jackson’s estate, described the lawsuit as a “desperate attempt to extort money” in a statement to People magazine earlier this year, and a request by the estate to transfer the case to arbitration was accepted last March. Jackson’s life is not an easy story to portray on stage or screen, and many who have attempted it have struggled with how to handle the child sex abuse allegations.
In 2017, a Lifetime film based on the book “Remember That Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days,” by Jackson’s former bodyguards Bill Whitfield and Javon Byrd, presented a sympathetic image of the singer as a devoted father, with his legal troubles serving as a backdrop.
Meanwhile, the 2022 musical “MJ: The Musical,” which won four Tony Awards, largely avoided the allegations because it is set in 1992, before the first charges against him were filed. “You can’t tell the story without telling it in its entirety, with all its good, bad, and everything in between,” says James L. Walker Jr., an entertainment lawyer who invested in the play.
Walker Jr. believes that moviegoers, rather than being put off by the past allegations, will support the new film because of their enduring love for Michael Jackson and his music.
In 2019, HBO, owned by CNN’s parent company, released a documentary titled “Leaving Neverland,” which included allegations from two men who claimed Jackson sexually abused them. The Jackson family responded with a strongly worded statement at the time, denying the allegations on his behalf and calling the documentary “public defamation.”
With “Michael,” however, the family appears more involved, albeit to varying degrees.
Paris, the late star’s 28-year-old daughter, recently shared a video on social media in which she said she hadn’t given her honest opinion about the film “because I know a lot of you will love it.”
She added, “The film is aimed at a very specific group of my dad’s fans who are still living in a fantasy world, and they will be happy with it.”
Her brothers, Prince (29) and Peggy (formerly known as Blanket, 24), attended the film’s premieres.
Jaffar Jackson plays his uncle Michael in his acting debut; he was 12 years old when his uncle passed away.
The cast did not appear on the cover of any major Hollywood magazines before the film’s theatrical release, an unusual move for such a highly anticipated film.
Jaffar Jackson, along with Domingo and Long, has appeared on several television programs, including “Today.”
