The very estimable Matthew Belloni has a story today in his Puck newsletter about the Michael Jackson biopic. The movie, he says, has to re-shoot its third act.
That is true, I’ve confirmed. But it’s a little more complicated than that.
A few months ago, “Michael” was moved to fall 2025 from the spring. This was ostensibly because it would go into Oscar season. When the news broke, it was already understood this would give director Antoine Fuqua time to do some reshoots.
Always problematic with this movie was the idea that it would somehow hash out Michael’s accusations from the family of Jordan Chandler, and the subsequent $20 million pay off. That always seemed like a bad idea. The success of the “MJ” musical on Broadway was because it ended around 1990, after “Thriller” and “Bad” made Jackson an international mega star.
Apparently, the producers and director did film a section on Michael’s legal problems, but it didn’t work. Frankly, it shouldn’t have been in the script in the first place. Then, on top of that, it turned out that the Chandlers had signed a settlement with Jackson saying they and their story could never be depicted in a feature film about Jackson.
Did someone forget this happened? Maybe. But also at the time different lawyers covered different parts of Michael’s business. He would expressly tell one team not to talk to the other. By the mid 90s, John Branca was not representing Jackson anymore. According to my sources, he didn’t know the details of the Chandler agreement.
The good news is that “Michael” will get a new ending and easily make its opening date in November. The movie will trace Jackson’s childhood and conclude before the bad stuff kicked in. The fans and audience will dance in the aisles, and Michael’s nephew Jaafar Jackson will be celebrated for playing his uncle so well.
The Chandler story is best left to documentaries. Jordan’s father, Evan, accused by some of shaking Michael down, ultimately committed suicide. Jordan has remained underground for 30 years, his whereabouts and life unknown. At the time, so called witnesses to Michael’s alleged bad behavior sold their stories to the National Enquirer. They were tainted, and there was never an arrest or a trial.
Better to not deal with that. Producer Graham King is looking for a hit on a par with his Freddie Mercury biopic, “Bohemain Rhapdsody.” The “Michael” movie is only going to work if it ends with audience singing along to “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough,” and not discussing lawyers and tabloid vultures.
PS The bigger mystery is how all the Jacksons will be dealt with when the movie premieres. Jaafar’s father, Jermaine, has gone underground in recent years. No one knows where he is, although the betting is on the Middle East, where he’s said to be avoiding IRS agents. It’s some kind of cosmic joke that Jermaine’s son is playing Michael, who did a lot of damage to Jermaine’s career back in the day. There should be a movie about all the infighting among the Jacksons.
