As Michael Jackson fans flock to the theaters to see the Antoine Fuqua-helmed biopic about the ‘King of Pop’, many are questioning how the film avoids the child sexual abuse allegations against the artist.
Michael stars Colman Domingo and Nia Long, who play MJ’s parents Joe and Katherine Jackson, recently explained why the movie doesn’t dive into the accusations that started in 1993.
“The film takes place from the ’60s to 1988, so it does not go into the first allegations,” explained Domingo on the Today show. “So basically, we centered it on the makings of Michael. So, it’s an intimate portrait of who Michael is … through his eyes. So, that’s what it is, that’s what this film is.”
The actor continued, “And there’s a possibility of there being a part two that may deal with some other things that happened afterwards. This is about the making of Michael, how he was raised, and then how he was trying to find his voice as an artist and be a solo artist. That’s what I have to say about that.”
When asked about the potential of exploring the allegations in another biopic about the later years of Jackson’s life, Domingo noted, “There could be a sequel. We don’t know yet.” Long quipped, “If the price is right.
Originally surpassing three and a half hours, the first cut of Michael reportedly ended with an accuser, whose settlement with the singer’s estate guaranteed they would never be dramatized. The Michael Jackson estate, when greenlighting the movie, overlooked this detail.
With the biopic undergoing 22 additional shooting days last May to film a new ending, Deadline reported that Lionsgate was considering splitting the film into two parts.
After Jackson was charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of intoxicating a minor in 2003, he denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty before being acquitted on all counts in 2005. Following Jackson’s death in 2009, other accusers have come forward.