Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic is a complete whitewash, says ‘Leaving Neverland’ director

Dan Reed, the director of ‘Leaving Neverland’, says the biopic ‘Michael’ is an attempt to rewrite the sexual abuse allegations against the world-famous singer

Michael Jackson. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Michael Jackson biopic, called Michael, is one of the most anticipated films. The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua, is set to release in 2025.

The film is set to focus on Jackson’s contributions to the industry and offer tribute to the world-famous singer-dancer. It is still not clear if the film will address the topic of sexual abuse allegations faced by Jackson.

LeavingNeverland, the 2019 HBO documentary, dealt with the episode, providing details of the incidents and offering support to the accusers. In a TheSunday Times interview, Dan Reed, the director of Leaving Neverland, said “Michael is a complete whitewash that ignores facts about the allegations against Jackson.”

Reed, who had read the draft of the script of Michael written by John Logan, said, ““It’s an out-and-out attempt to completely rewrite the allegations and dismiss them out of hand, and contains complete lies,” Reed said of the draft. “You never even see him alone with any boys, when it is a matter of fact that he shared his bed with small children for many years.”

Published - March 18, 2024 06:58 pm IST