©Courtesy of “This IS IT” film.
A news report in the long-awaited Michael Jackson movie, “Michael” which indicates that the film will have to deal with significant consequences due to an ongoing legal issue. What is the legal problem with the Michael Jackson movie?
According to Matthew Belloni’s Puck newsletter, Jackson’s estate made it a point not to involve the Jordan Chandler family in any movie or project about the star, even before the movie was in production. Belloni mentions that a contract signed by both families prevents the Chandlers, who were involved in the infamous Jackson child molestation trial, from being portrayed in any dramatization.
The problem with the Michael Jackson movie, as stated in the newsletter, is that a substantial portion of the third act of the planned biopic of the pop icon involves the famous lawsuit against Jackson by Jordan Chandler, a then-13-year-old who claimed that Jackson sexually abused him.
The report states that Jackson is depicted as innocent throughout this process, with a scene involving Jackson meeting his lawyers and hearing audio of Chandler’s father threatening to ‘destroy’ Jackson’s career.
Key parts in the movie may cause the studio to have to reshoot scenes completely.
According to the report, this was discovered following the release of the HBO documentary ,”Leaving Neverland,” specifically after a September article in the Financial Times revealed that John Branca, one of Jackson’s executors, awarded $16.5 million to the accusers featured in the documentary.
According to the report, the movie’s creative team is currently trying to figure out how to best fix the issue. Approval from Lionsgate is necessary for a script rewrite and resorts, and Jackson’s estate will fund any results or additional photography required.