>"Michael," the story of Michael Jackson’s rise to superstardom, was supposed to begin in medias res with one of the darkest chapters of the singer’s life. In one scene from the film’s original script, the King of Pop stares at his reflection in the mirror, capturing his sorrowful gaze as police car lights flash behind him. It’s 1993, a decade after “Thriller” gripped the culture, and Jackson has just been accused of child molestation.>But the sequence with investigators who arrive at Neverland Ranch to search for evidence is one of many that were left on the cutting room floor. “Michael,” which Lionsgate will release in the United States on April 24, was supposed to explore the impact of the allegations on Jackson’s life, with much of its third act devoted to the scandal. But that finale was scrapped, along with any mention of the child molestation accusations, according to sources with knowledge of the production. That’s after attorneys for the Jackson estate, which served as a producer, realized there was a clause in a settlement with one of the singer’s accusers, Jordan Chandler, that barred the depiction or mention of him in any movie.>After the late-stage discovery, filmmakers went back to the drawing board to come up with a new ending. Now, instead of concluding with one of the most ignominious moments in Jackson’s career, “Michael” will end with the pop star still at his zenith. The last scene is set during Jackson’s “Bad” tour, following him as he prepares to take the stage for another electrifying performance, according to a source who has seen the finished film.
>Indeed, the movie leans heavily into Jackson’s music, featuring one showstopper after another, and away from his sometimes bizarre personal behavior (“Michael” does include a sweet moment where Jackson buys toys for kids in the hospital). In the new version, the dramatic tension comes from the singer’s relationship with his domineering father, Joe Jackson, who doesn’t want his son’s solo career to come at the expense of the Jackson 5, the Motown group that put the family on the map. The film will also explore Jackson’s recovery from the severe scalp burns he received from a pyrotechnics accident during the filming of a 1984 Pepsi commercial, including the painkillers he started to abuse during that period. Janet Jackson, the performer’s famous sister, is not a character in the movie, according to another insider.>Because the original cut was more than three and a half hours, producer Graham King hopes to turn “Michael” into a two-part story. Lionsgate and Universal (which is overseeing international distribution) believe there’s enough material for at least one more movie. The studios suggest roughly 30% of the material that was jettisoned from “Michael” could be reconstituted for potential sequels. It’s unclear how future films would handle the legal battles and abuse allegations that consumed much of Jackson’s final years. King has told the studios he would focus on the singer’s later albums, including 1991’s “Dangerous” and 2001’s “Invincible,” the purchase and construction of Neverland Ranch, as well as “his love of animals.”
>Last June, the cast reassembled for 22 days of additional photography to shoot the new third act and flesh out scenes from earlier in the movie. Production, which had primarily taken place in Santa Barbara, restarted in Los Angeles but didn’t qualify for state tax rebates. That added $10 million to $15 million to the budget, according to sources with knowledge of similar projects. (“Michael” was greenlit for $155 million.) The Jackson estate shouldered those extra costs because its error necessitated the changes, insiders say. Because it was willing to foot that bill, the estate has an equity stake in the film, according to another individual with knowledge of the production.>Early tracking suggests “Michael” will open to more than $55 million at the domestic box office, which would be above 2018’s smash hit “Bohemian Rhapsody” ($51 million). Initial ticket sales could climb even higher as the release date nears. Direct comparisons are tough because “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which ended up earning a massive $910 million worldwide, was released before the pandemic. And post-COVID musical biopics like “A Complete Unknown” and “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” were smaller scale productions. Internally, the studio hopes “Michael” will gross at least $700 million worldwide. Should “Michael” hit those heights, Jackson might moonwalk across the screen once again.https://variety.com/2026/film/news/michael-movie-reshoots-removing-child-abuse-allegations-1236710221/
People say this is gonna make billions but I really don't sense any hype for this movie. It genuinely just looks like another toothless, lame, estate approved biopic.Michael being played by someone who probably has not even 1/100th of that man's charisma.
SHAMONE!!HEEE HEEEE
>>219497084He’s the King of Pop. His death stopped the world. I think it’ll do well unless it’s a snooze fest. His family drama goes deep but they may tone it down
Will this scene be in the movie?
>>219497211yea I dont ssee why not
>>219497084>I really don't sense any hype for this movieThen you're not really looking.
>>219497211you wish, rajesh.
Puff piece biopics of musicians are so fucking lame. There hasn't been a decent one since The Doors.
>>219497517What about this scene? It'll be a very dishonest biopic if they try to white wash the slumber parties with underage boys.
A sterile entertainment product custom-made for the braindead ~95 IQ NPC consumer. No drama, no conflict, no exploration, no ideas, no emotions, no spirit, no humanity—just names, places and events that the great unwashed will easily recognise, set to a "Greatest Hits" YouTube playlist. A plastic lunchbox has more artistic merit than this pathetic, disgusting, embarrassing garbage.
>>219497084Unless it's a complete pile of garbage (and it could still turn out that way given the eleventh hour overhaul) I don't see how it doesn't make a bunch of money off of nostalgia alone. I'm not sure a sequel that covers the Wacko Jacko-era would have a fraction of the commercial appeal, though.
>>219497027I'd like to address this horrible HBO documentary about me. It's filled with lies and ignorance. I would never hurt CHEELDREN. I love sleeping with little boys, that's all. Just a grown man sleeping with a little boys OF COURSE I FUCKED DEEM KEEDZ, C'MON. It's so obvious. I was a good pedophile too, huh? I built a whole amusement park, and a candy store. And I say you kids like candy? And they be like yeah yeah we like yeah you like yeah well tell your mama GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE. TEHEHEHE. Then I did. I was like oh shit. Didn't you all notice how I slept with little cute boys. Not little girls. Not little ugly boys. Just cute little mothafucking tight ass MHMHMHM boys. Well better get back to heaven. I got in because I apologized right before I died. Them the rules. Bye
>what's in store for the sequels>the sequels
he deserved dem keedz
They reworked the entire movie because of the settlement? They couldn't have just not mentioned or alluded to the raped faggot?
>>219497587>>219497211Why do you have these photos saved, pedo?
>>219497084literally all this movie needs to do to succeed is have MJ’s music on shuffle mode, and a dozen montages of him performing. there’s only even a story because there needs to be.
>3 hour movie about a gay pedophileDo Americans really?
WACKO JACKO HEART ATTACKO
>>219497181They had to because his victims want a damnatio memoriae on their experiences, can't be done unless they use fictional placeholders
>>219497027>>219497051>>219497080Yeah, I highly doubt there was ever anything in there about Wacko Jacko diddling boys. “M-muh settlement clause” sounds like an excuse for the movie to dodge the issue completely
