One of the main actors in the Michael Jackson biopic has defended the film from “’whitewashing” claims, pointing to the potential for a sequel to deal with sexual abuse allegations.
Michael does not feature any scenes dealing with the singer’s high-profile child abuse allegations after they were cut from the film, allegedly forcing reshoots that added $15 million to the budget.
Variety has reported that Michael, which sees Michael Jackson’s real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson play the title role, was meant to include a scene in which police arrive at Neverland Ranch to search for evidence of child abuse in 1993, but it does not appear in the final cut.
This is allegedly one of many scenes that were meant to explore this part of Jackson’s life in the third act of the movie, but were all cut because attorneys for the Jackson estate “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.” Michael Jackson had denied all allegations, and his estate continues to deny the claims.
This sparked $15 million dollars worth of reshoots and a new ending, Variety reported, contributing to a delay to the movie’s release from April last year to this spring. The Jackson estate covered the cost because the error was theirs, Variety said, but it now has an equity stake in the film.
Now, Michael ends with a scene set during Jackson’s Bad tour, which ran from 1987 to 1989. There isn’t a single mention of the child abuse allegations at any point in the movie. It revolves around the music and Jackson’s troubled relationship with his father, Joe, played by Colman Domingo.
And it was Domingo who this week defended Michael from the “whitewashing” claims by suggesting a sequel could continue Michael Jackson’s story on from 1988. Speaking in an interview on the Today show, Domingo said Michael is focused on “the makings of Michael.”
