Overview of The Michael Jackson "biopic"
This episode of Vox’s Today, Explained examines why the new Michael Jackson biopic ends in the late 1980s, why it was reworked after filming, and how legal constraints shaped a movie that appears to celebrate Jackson while avoiding the most controversial parts of his life. The discussion centers on the tension between commercial appeal, estate-approved storytelling, and the allegations that have long shadowed Jackson’s legacy.
Why the Film Was Made
A response to Leaving Neverland
- The project began after HBO’s 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, which detailed abuse allegations from Wade Robson and James Safechuck.
- From the Jackson estate’s perspective, the film was meant as a counter-narrative to restore and protect Michael Jackson’s image.
- The estate had already been successful in rehabilitating his legacy through:
- the Broadway musical MJ
- a Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas
- continued global popularity of his music
A huge commercial bet
- The movie became a major hit anyway.
- It had the biggest opening ever for a biopic and reportedly drew audiences who were dancing in theaters.
- The success raised the possibility of a sequel.
What Changed from the Original Script
The original version tackled the allegations directly
According to reporter Matt Belloni, the original script by John Logan:
- opened at Neverland with police sirens outside
- used flashbacks to tell Jackson’s rise
- devoted the final act to the allegations and their aftermath
- portrayed the Chandler family as opportunistic
- presented Jackson as the victim of false accusations
The final film avoids that material
- The released movie now ends in 1988, at the height of the Bad tour.
- It starts at the same era rather than using it as a flashback device.
- Much of the material about the allegations was removed.
- The final cut leaves a much more sanitized portrayal, emphasizing Jackson’s music, charisma, and connection to children without fully explaining those relationships.
The Legal Problem That Forced the Rewrite
A settlement blocked dramatization
- The estate discovered that a 1990s settlement with the Chandler family prevented either side from dramatizing the events involving Jordan Chandler.
- That agreement, originally meant to stop the family from selling their story, later complicated the estate’s own film plans.
The solution: split it into two movies
- After legal review, the production team cut the movie into two parts:
- Movie 1: Jackson’s rise to fame, with no allegation-related material
- Movie 2: potentially a deeper, more controversial story if the first film succeeded
- The episode suggests the sequel is now being considered because the first film was such a financial success.
The Public and Critical Reaction
Why people criticized the movie
- Critics argued the film had “nothing to say” because it sidestepped the allegations.
- Others felt it presented Jackson as a saint-like figure while ignoring the darker parts of his history.
- The filmmakers, especially director Antoine Fuqua, defended the approach by comparing it to other biopics that leave out inconvenient details.
The marketing strategy
- Promotion focused heavily on Jackson’s music and performance legacy.
- The film clearly aimed to avoid controversy, which makes a sequel much trickier if it tries to address the allegations later.
Michael Jackson’s Cultural Scale
He was bigger than almost anyone
- The episode emphasizes how difficult it is today to grasp just how massive Michael Jackson was in the 1980s.
- Thriller sold around 70 million copies over time, a level of album success that is nearly impossible in the streaming era.
- He was a truly global pop force, not just a major star.
A complicated childhood
- Jackson’s extraordinary fame started very young with the Jackson 5.
- The discussion highlights how being a child star shaped his longing for childhood and his later fascination with being around children.
- That longing became part of how he described himself, but it later became central to the allegations against him.
The Allegations and Their History
Early 1990s accusations
- The first major case involved a 13-year-old boy and led to a police investigation.
- The matter was settled before trial, so there was never a court ruling on the underlying claims.
Early 2000s and trial
- Jackson later appeared in a British TV documentary and discussed sleeping in bed with children, which reignited outrage.
- That period led to more accusations and a 2005 criminal trial.
- Jackson was acquitted and found not guilty.
After his death
- After Jackson died in 2009, many fans and commentators felt comfortable celebrating his music again.
- That changed again in 2019 when Leaving Neverland reopened the public conversation with detailed testimony from Robson and Safechuck.
Main Takeaways
- The new biopic is shaped as much by legal restrictions as by creative choices.
- It functions as a carefully managed image-repair project for the Jackson estate.
- The film’s split structure suggests a sequel may be planned, but that sequel would face a difficult choice:
- continue avoiding the allegations and risk more criticism
- or confront them directly and risk alienating the audience that embraced the first film
- The episode ultimately frames Jackson as one of the clearest examples of the “judge the art, not the artist” dilemma.
Notable Insight
- The central irony of the movie is that it was designed to counter accusations, but legal barriers forced it into a softer, incomplete version of the story.
- As the guest notes, a true biography of Jackson would need to include both the brilliance and the controversies—but this film largely chooses the former.