The biopic “Michael” is breaking box office records even though critics have been tough on it. The movie leaves out the child sexual abuse allegations that surfaced later in the pop star’s life. Now filmmaker Spike Lee has come out strongly in defense of that choice.
In a recent interview, Lee talked about the backlash against Antoine Fuqua’s film. The movie focuses on Jackson’s rise to fame and concludes in 1988. That is five years before the first public accusation came out in 1993.
‘Michael’ Movie Timeline and Creative Choices Explained
Lee directly went after the film critics who said the movie cleans up Jackson’s legacy. He told CNN, “First of all, if you’re a movie critic, and you’re complaining about the stuff—all this other stuff—but the movie ends at ’88. The stuff you’re talking about, accusations, happen [later].”
Lee directed Jackson’s 1996 music video for ‘They Don’t Care About Us‘ and two documentaries about the singer. He said it does not make sense to criticize the movie for leaving something out that does not fit the timeline. He said, “So you’re critiquing the film on something that you want in, but it doesn’t work in the timeline of the film.” He then added that he has seen the movie twice and “loves it”.
Lee also pointed to how well the movie is doing. “But people showed up. Worldwide, people showed their love,” he said. The film made $423 million around the world in its first two weekends. Lee got emotional talking about his friendship with the “King of Pop,” who died in 2009. He told CNN, “I miss Mike. I miss Prince. I mean, these are my brothers. I worked with both of them. Both beautiful, beautiful people.”
Legal Hurdles Behind the Film’s Change Name Change
Behind the scenes, it turns out the choice was not just about the timeline. Variety reported that the film’s original third act included the fallout from the accusations.
In case you missed it: Michael Jackson Biopic Wins Over Audiences With Big Debut
But the Michael Jackson estate found a legal clause in a settlement with accuser Jordan Chandler that said no film project could show or even mention him. That forced the filmmakers to do expensive reshoots and end the movie with Jackson’s “Bad” tour instead.
‘Leaving Neverland’ Director Slams ‘Michael’
The movie has also started a fight with the people behind “Leaving Neverland.” The 2019 documentary from Dan Reed went into detail about the allegations from Wade Robson and James Safechuck. Reed strongly condemned the biopic as he did not like the scenes showing Jackson visiting sick children in hospitals. He told Variety, “That made me feel really icky. It suggests that Jackson’s engagement with children was entirely benign and motivated by nothing but philanthropy. Jeffrey Epstein was a great philanthropist, and Harvey Weinstein was a great filmmaker, but there’s unfortunately another dimension to their stories.”
Director Antoine Fuqua agreed with Lee and said the controversy could be dealt with in a sequel. Fuqua told Deadline, “Unless you can truly take your time, let’s go back to the beginning and really show people who he was on the stage. He’s a superhero on the stage… movies have the power of empathy.”
You might also want to read: Michael Jackson Biopic ‘Michael’ Undergoes Major Changes as Allegations-Focused Ending Is Removed Before Release
