The new Michael Jackson biopic. Why now?

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0:09Today, the new Michael Jackson firepick. Why now?

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1:01So these are limited edition fedoras, and you can only get them in selected cinemas, but they were sold out of this one. So if you can get down fast enough, get your fedora and get your microphone. It's Wednesday morning outside the BFI IMAX Theatre in central London. Michael Jackson fans are out in full force to watch the first screening of Michael. This is the blockbuster biopic hoping to break records and make a billion dollars worldwide. I've been waiting for this day since I was about eight years old. So I had to come as soon as the early previews started. We've both seen the movie in Berlin.

1:40So actually our second time getting to see it. But it's just a powerful film and great movie for all ages, for kids, for the elderly, everyone, all different races. Despite a string of one-star reviews, there is excitement, anticipation. Just have all these songs in my head.

2:04Just gotta get them out. Ready whenever you are, Michael.

2:12If it's a big year for Michael Jackson fans, it is a mammoth one for his estate. We need to capitalize on Michael's success. Because the Jackson family is the brand. That's our Coca-Cola. This canny operation has turned the half a billion dollar debt owed by Jackson when he was alive into a business generating hundreds of millions of dollars in his death. The jukebox musical, the Cirque du Soleil extravaganza. And alongside it, dozens of themed events, shows, autumn-less brunches, memorializing him as the greatest star ever to be born. I knew you were different the moment you were born. You let your light shine unto the world.

2:59But there is another story that they'd like you to forget. The multiple devastating allegations of child sexual abuse made against Jackson over decades. Thank you. We have more now on Michael Jackson. The latest on the investigation into allegations of molestation. And how that drip feed of stories changed the way he was seen forever. But not for everyone. No, I've been an advocate for that man for as long as I can remember. I've looked into the facts for years. I can give dates, court dates, everything. I'm quite intense about that. It doesn't worry me because he was about his art. He wanted to be perceived for his art, not for his life.

3:37So that's... But can you really separate the Michael Jackson who gave us Thriller from the Michael Jackson who admitted to sharing his bed with young boys? From The Guardian, I'm Noshin Iqbal. Today in Focus, the king of pop and the battle for his legacy.

4:01Owen Myers, welcome to Today in Focus. Thank you so much. I'm happy to be here. So you're the deputy arts editor for Garden US and you've written this really deep dive into the story behind the making of the Michael Jackson biopic. first of all how long has it been in the works and what was its original premise yeah absolutely so the producer graham king has had the rights for a while he was coming out of the success of bohemian rhapsody the extremely uh commercially successful biopic of freddie mercury but a lot of times it's kind of seemed like it's a beleaguered or if not cursed production The shooting actually finished and the estate dug out a certain legal clause to show that certain depictions in the film of an early 90s abuse case weren't allowed to be shown.

4:53We had a legal issue. We found out after we had finished shooting the film that the estate didn't realise at the time. So it was a little bit of shock to both of us. I think it's actually been a blessing in disguise, to be honest. This is a really strong film. So this is because of a legal settlement with the family of Jordan Chandler, who was one of the children who accused Michael Jackson of sexual abuse. And there was a clause in that settlement that prohibited any mention of Chandler in any future films. Absolutely. So the film went through some very expensive reshoots that the estate funded, apparently around 10 to 15 million.

5:32So what's finally made it to the screen is quite a different version of the script that was originally planned, which was going to end in the early 90s. And it will end just after Thriller and just before Bad and seeing Michael Jackson at the peak of his fame. And so, as you said, it was originally slated to be released last year, and it's had quite the journey with the major reshoots and at least one family member, Paris Jackson, heir to Michael Jackson's estate. claiming that it was sugarcoated and containing a number of, quote, full-blown lies. The narrative is being controlled. And there's a lot of inaccuracy and there's a lot of just full-blown lies.

6:13And at the end of the day, like... Oh, and how has the film been marketed and how has it been received by the entertainment industry? Well, I think that the film would, and the studio Lionsgate, would quite like you to forget that there's any dissenting voices. There's been a full-scale marketing assault. There are flash mobs on the street of New York. There was a pop-up gallery to celebrate Jackson's costumes in Soho, New York. And all around the world, there's been influencer screenings. For context, I was very fortunate enough to have been invited to an advanced screening of Michael the Movie.

6:45I showed him my little Billie Jean costume and just simply had the best night of my life. So this is kind of before the rest of the world gets to see the movie, in the hope that that will be a nice trickle of early buzz for the movie. See the goat! He is the GOAT. Like, that wasn't like a film. I felt like I was watching a concert and I feel like... A really interesting part of the whole campaign for me is just how softball, like, the promotions has been around this film. Jafar Jackson, welcome to The Tonight Show. It's amazing. I love the energy. Thank you for coming on. I can't wait to talk about Michael and what a great performance.

7:22You would think this is an opportunity for some of the cast, some of the respected cast like Coleman, Domingo, Nia Long, to really sit down with mass media news outlets and engage. You'd expect a lot of glossy magazine covers. And I know this kind of happened serendipitously, but you worked really hard for this part. Yeah, it was a process that I really had to earn, and it really proved to... Instead, we've got these quite softball lifestyle publications that have featured the cast and director. It is incredible how you recreated these scenes. Which one was the hardest? Thank you. Which one was the hardest?

8:03I would say probably Billie Jean. And that's probably because the Michael Jackson estate was so heavily involved in this production. And since his death, they have been the ones ensuring his back catalogue remains profitable. The executors of the estate are two lawyers named John McLean and John Branca. They took over the Jackson estate after he died. It's just unbelievable. Michael Jackson sells more tickets dead than most artists do alive. That is absolutely true. Worldwide box office now... Part of why John Branker specifically is a notable figure is he's been Jackson's attorney since the 80s.

8:45He shepherded Jackson to buy the Beatles catalogue in the 1980s, which was a huge source of his income. Him and Jackson had a rocky relationship, but John Bragg came back into the picture around This Is It, the Jackson documentary released shortly after his death showing Jackson. This was the concert film, right? Yeah, this was the concert film. So he was scheduled to do this run of, I believe, 50 shows at the O2 in London. And that was going to be his big return to the stage. I'll be performing the songs my fans want to hear.

9:23This is it. I mean, this is really it. This is the final, this is the final curtain call. He died two weeks before those concerts were scheduled to start. But This Is It was shepherded by John Branca into a very timely release in cinemas for a public that is still grieving Jackson. Very much cashing in, right, at that point. Very much taking the opportunity of some goodwill towards Jackson at that time. Man in the Mirror had shot back to number two on the UK charts following his death. This is it went on to gross over 200 million dollars at the worldwide box office. And it's actually the biggest grossing documentary of all time.

10:13Lanre Bakare, welcome back to Today in Focus. Thanks for having me. It's a pleasure to be here. so you are the guardians arts and culture correspondent so first of all can you try to explain just how huge michael jackson was at his peak yeah i was thinking about this earlier it's kind of it's hard to explain it i think if i was talking to a i don't know a 10 year old or a 13 year old today trying to explain how big michael jackson is it's like take someone like taylor swift take beyonce put them together times them by like 10 and you're still absolutely nowhere near what michael jackson was at his peak which if we're taking his peak to be like late 80s going into the 90s like he dominated the 80s he was the biggest thing going when the stadium doors finally opened it was impossible not to be overwhelmed watching the fans storm onto the field to get The coveted spot at the very front.

11:06World tours that made him millions of dollars. People here have waited so long for this show that the anticipation level just creates massive hysteria. Thriller selling 80 million copies. And the winner is Michael Jackson. Fastest selling album ever. And also he like changed what a pop star could be. He kind of emerged through Motown. You've got the kind of classic R &B kind of set up. The Jackson 5 are here tonight. They're, without a doubt, one of the most popular singing groups in the entire world. With his brothers. I'm Jermaine. Jermaine. I'm Tito. Marlon. I'm Randy. Randy. Jackie. Jackie.

11:42And I'm Michael. You're Michael. And then he becomes a solo act who not only can dance, not only can he sing, he actually is smart enough to realise that the future is music videos. And he creates Thriller, which just completely changes the culture when it came to the standard that you had to set for a music video. Got these amazing dance sequences. It's kind of like a 12-minute film, basically. Yeah. Are you all right? Get away! That MTV initially didn't want to play because they didn't play black music, but they had to play it because Michael Jackson just completely transcended any kind of genre limitations.

12:17It's worth reminding the kids that I think every party that you ever had with your cousins after Thriller came out, for about 10 years, you'd all be playing and re-creating Thriller. No! No, no, no, no, no, no. Yeah, I mean, I remember being at like Nigerian gatherings and if Michael Jackson came on, everybody would get into it. Like it'd be a multi-generation dance contest happening. People absolutely bloody love Michael Jackson because it wasn't just one or two great songs. It was albums where every single track was incredible over a 10-year period. Well, what did he mean to you? I mean, we're both children of the 80s.

12:53We both, I guess, have pretty strong and somewhat fond memories of Michael Jackson. But for you personally, Lanre, what did Michael Jackson mean in your life? I absolutely loved him I thought he was I thought it was incredible I mean I was trying to remember my earliest memory of him and it was probably bad I'm not coming out of 1987 and the music video with him and Wesley Snipes I said leave me alone I'm tired of you stop it are you ready? stop it leave me alone stop where I mean looking back on it it's kind of ridiculous he's playing this kind of tough guy but he's got like this relaxed air super light skin and he's got this kind of strange, like, biker outfit.

13:30And he's kind of threatening these dudes, but it's like, he's got this incredibly feminine voice. Let's see who's bad, man. Come on. Come on. Let's go. And then kind of going back to the earlier records, we've got the Jackson 5, where they created some of the best bubblegum pop ever. That little Michael Jackson with that just adult range, just dazzling to watch. Yeah, I was watching that. I was watching him play I Want You Back yesterday.

13:59I found it really emotional watching it because there's the innocence there. And this is always the thing of Michael Jackson as a kid. The images of him as a child, he's so innocent and he's so talented. And you kind of know what's coming next.

14:23Owen your piece opens with a really shocking detail that I just still can't wrap my head around about the story of Jordan Chandler who in 1993 was the first boy to publicly accuse Michael Jackson of sexually abusing him what happened and how was it dealt with at the time Well, it was absolutely an explosive case at the time. Jordan Chandler was a boy that was 12 years old and had accompanied Michael Jackson on his Dangerous World Tour, particularly on the Asian leg of the tour. He was always by Michael's side. Michael made no secret of it. He was in many photographs. Jordan Chandler, as a 12, 13-year-old, would come to Neverland to stay.

15:06Jackson would go and stay at Chandler's house. There was a real trust that Jordan Chandler's family put into Jackson and they would have sleepovers. They spent, I believe, 30 consecutive nights sleeping over together. A lot of people would raise their eyebrows at that, knowing what we know now. But Jackson, you know, this was not a rich family. you know, imagine the biggest star in the world shows up at your door. Your logic might take a back seat for a minute if you're a little dazzled. So Jackson allegedly played on families that were not particularly well adjusted. He knew the people that he could maybe like bend the rules with, hence the sleepovers.

15:49So people who are a bit more vulnerable, which is in the grooming playbook, so to speak. That lines up with a lot of what, you know, the grooming playbook typically is. And Jordan Chandler did come forward to the LAPD in late 1993. And as part of the questioning, the LAPD asked Jordan Chandler to draw by hand Jackson's genitalia. It's well known that Jack Tiff had a skin condition that discolored parts of his body. So what Jordan Chandler did was he drew a drawing of the private parts that had blotches, specifically on the underside of the penis and other distinctive markings in the area. And, you know, the kind of knowledge that you would only know one way, right?

16:34These drawings were put in a sealed envelope and simultaneously Jackson was submitted to a strip search at the Neverland Ranch to take those intimate pictures. and this is well documented. This is a fact is that the pictures matched up and this is confirmed by multiple detectives from the LAPD at the time. Jackson called the experience the most humiliating ordeal of his life and he always forcefully denied the allegations. He also settled out of court for$25 million with the Chandler family. He did, yeah, and that came in the week or two after this strip search session. So this was something that Jackson wanted to be resolved very quickly.

17:23And critics have commented that perhaps the amount of money was too much for anyone to say no to, especially for not a rich family. So Jackson didn't have to submit to a criminal trial in that case. It's sort of mind-boggling reading that stuff back as an adult. I mean, there was this total suspension of belief, I guess. I mean, looking back at it now. And of course, there were then other accusations. You know, there was even a trial. Owen, can you briefly run me through a timeline of the allegations made against Michael Jackson? So after the Jordan Chandler trial in 1993 is the Martin Bashir documentary, which was in 2003.

18:03I love climbing trees. I think it's my favourite thing. Having water balloon fights and climbing trees. I think those two are my favourite. That raised a lot more questions about Jackson again because it really showed Jackson at the Neverland Ranch with children, including a young boy whose name is Gavin. When Gavin was there, he talked about the fact that he shares your bedroom. Yes. Can you understand why people would worry about that? Because they're ignorant. Saying that the most loving thing you can do is share a bed with children. That's a beautiful thing. That's not a worrying thing? Why should they be worrying?

18:40Who's the criminal? Who's Jack the Ripper in the room? Neverland had a petting zoo. It had a fairground. It had popcorn machines. Jackson loved to be surrounded by children. He insisted that he had more in common with children than adults, and they shared a lot of interest. By 2005, that boy Gavin had come forward and sued Jackson. There followed this surreal moment. The singer clambered aboard his waiting limousine to wave and blow kisses to his fans. So in 2005 brought a three-month-long criminal trial for Jackson. This was the only time in which the child abuse allegations were heard in front of a jury.

19:20Bizarre. Certainly. Deluded. Possibly. But a criminal will have to wait and see. And many people came and argued for Jackson's defence, including the comedian Chris Tucker. Macaulay Culkin came to Jackson's defence in that trial. We have to cover it, so let's ask about it. What's the relationship that you had with Michael Jackson? had or have i mean you know whatever uh let's go with had listen yeah no he's just he's a good friend of mine and he still is i mean everything that's going on i mean it's unfortunate it's an unfortunate situation for for everyone involved and he was another child actor who had been in jackson's orbit for a long time as well right a long time i think in the black or black or white video um no secret about that friendship they would show up on red carpets together colkin has always maintained that relationship was very innocent so he came to jackson's defense and...

20:09There it is, all ten counts, not guilty on all ten counts. That court did find Jackson innocent and he was exonerated of all charges. Clearly now it's pandemonium out here among the crowd members. They are jubilant. Inside the courtroom, we understand from our producer, Michael Jackson, dabbed his eyes with Kleenex during the reading of the verdict. And in death, some new allegations have surfaced since then. most notably in Dan Reed's 2018 documentary Leaving Neverland. And it focused on two boys, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, that, again, a similar age to some of the other boys we've been discussing who say they were 12 and 13 when they were abused and assaulted by Jackson as boys.

20:58He told me if they ever found out what we were doing, he and I would go to jail for the rest of our lives. Secrets will eat you up. You feel so alone. It's a really gruelling documentary. A lot of the details that emerge, even without some of the context of the allegation, you know, kind of stomach churning in themselves, you know, Jackson had a bedroom with a hallway leading up to it that was covered with cameras. It was booby-trapped with alarms so that an alarm would sound if anyone approaches. So his bedroom was completely private and sealed off. In Jackson's bedroom, there were suitcases of erotic material.

21:42Forensic investigators subsequently found fingerprints of the boys on such materials. The Robson and Safechuck case is actually yet to go to trial. It's scheduled for later this year. And then just this February, new allegations broke by four siblings, the Casio siblings. I spoke with their lawyer, Howard King, who represents them and told me all about how they allege a decade of sustained abuse. They allege child trafficking, they allege assault, and they allege grooming in a level of detail which is really shocking and harrowing to read to review those reports. that case will likely be going to trial next year.

22:30But in the meantime, the estate would very much like you to focus on the biopic and celebration of his life. So we have these sort of dueling parallel narratives at the moment.

22:46Coming up, why fans still can't get enough of Michael Jackson.

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