Michael Jackson Biopic Brutally Condemned by Leaving Neverland Director

Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed brutally condemns the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic and its glorifying “a man who raped children”.

Dan Reed, director of the controversial documentary Leaving Neverland, brutally condemns the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic Michael. Released in 2019, Leaving Neverland focuses on two men who allege that they were sexually abused by Jackson as children at the singer’s home, Neverland Ranch. While the documentary was acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, it also sparked massive controversy from the Jackson estate and from longtime fans, who claimed that the singer never sexually abused anyone, and that the documentary perpetuated vicious lies. Recently, it was announced that a new biopic of Jackson, Michael, will enter production this year.

In an editorial piece for The Guardian, Reed slams the upcoming biopic, saying that it will glorify a man with a sordid history of sexual abuse. Reed says that the film will send out an unacceptable message of “if a paedophile is rich and popular enough, society will forgive him.” Reed goes on to say that the biopic will be incredibly harmful to survivors of childhood sexual abuse, and that there is no way for Michael to reconcile the singer’s fame with his allegations. Read part of Reed’s editorial below:

No one is talking about “cancelling” this movie, which will glorify a man who raped children…To the film-makers, I say: how will you represent the moment when Jackson, a grown man in his 30s, takes a child by the hand and leads him into that bedroom? How will you depict what happens next? By sidestepping the question of Jackson’s predilection for sleeping with young boys, you are broadcasting a message to millions of survivors of child sexual abuse. That message is: if a paedophile is rich and popular enough, society will forgive him.

Related: Leaving Neverland: The Biggest Reveals from HBO’s Michael Jackson Documentary

Everything We Know About Michael Jackson’s Biopic

While it has been reported that Michael will “not shy away from the controversies of Jackson’s life,” it is currently unclear as to which controversies will be covered, and how in-depth the biopic will focus on them. Though Leaving Neverland gave two alleged victims of Jackson’s a voice, it was far from the first time that Jackson came under fire for sexual abuse. Famously, child sexual abuse accusations came out against Jackson in 1993, a case which was settled out of court for millions of dollars.

Though Michael has been in the works for some time, the project began to gain momentum this year with several major developments. In January, it was announced that the biopic had found a director in Antoine Fuqua, best known for directing The Equalizer films, The Magnificent Seven, and Training Day. Shortly thereafter, Fuqua revealed that Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson would star in the biopic as the late singer. Of the casting, Fuqua said that Jaafar “organically personifies the spirit and personality of Michael,” and that “it was clear that he is the only person to take on this role.”

With other such musical biopics as Bohemian Rhapsody and Elvis having found major success in recent years, Michael seems to be set for success. However, with Jackson’s controversies and abuse allegations fresh in the minds of audiences all over the world, it remains to be seen how much of that darker side of Jackson’s life will be explored by the biopic. Reed’s editorial is a brutal condemnation of a film which has not yet entered production, but is certainly something for the Michael filmmakers to keep in mind when trying to create an accurate portrayal of Jackson’s life.

Next: A Michael Jackson Film Biopic Risks Making The Genre’s Biggest Issue WorseSource: The Guardian