A new development in the long-planned Michael Jackson movie suggests that the film will have to undergo some major reshoots over an ongoing legal issue.
What is the legal issue behind the Michael Jackson movie?
According to a new report from Matthew Belloni’s Puck newsletter, years before the Michael movie was in production, Jackson’s estate agreed to never include the Chandler family in any movie or project about the star. Belloni notes that a signed agreement between the families prohibits the Chandlers — who were at the center of the infamous trial against Jackson for child molestation — from being used in any dramatization.
The issue with the Michael Jackson movie, the newsletter notes, is that a large portion of the third act of the planned biopic of the music legend involves the infamous lawsuit against Jackson by Jordan Chandler, a then-13-year-old who alleged that Jackson molested him.
The report mentions that the film paints Jackson as innocent throughout this process and a scene in the movie includes Jackson meeting his lawyers and hearing audio of Chandler’s father threatening to “destroy” Jackson’s career.
The studio may be forced to completely reshoot scenes for the movie due to key parts being unusable.
The report goes on to mention that this came to light after the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, specifically after a September story in the Financial Times revealed that John Branca, one of Jackson’s executors, paid out $16.5 million to the accusers in the Leaving Neverland documentary, with one deciding to seek an additional $213 million, leading to litigation from Jackson’s estate.
The move as a whole, according to Puck’s newsletter, shocked those behind the film, as they were unaware any such payments had been made. Branca reportedly let the team know of the legal issues surrounding the scenes in the movie only after filming had already wrapped on the project.
The report notes that the creative team behind the movie is left trying to figure out how to best go about fixing the issue. A rewrite of the script, as well as reshoots, will have to be approved by Lionsgate, with Jackson’s estate reportedly funding any reshoots and additional photography needed.
(Source: Puck)
