FEATURE:
We Just Can’t Stop Loving You?
IN THIS PHOTO: Michael Jackson in 1989/PHOTO CREDIT: DMI/The Picture Collection Inc
Will the Upcoming Biopic Help Rebuild Michael Jackson’s Legacy?
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I wrote about this recently…
IN THIS PHOTO: Michael Jackson in 1992/PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Bergen/Redferns
but, as there were rumours last year a Michael Jackson biopic was planned, it has now been realised – which makes me want to revisit it. It seems that, alongside a possible Madonna biopic this year, another Pop legend will be brought to the big screen. Called Michael, the King of Pop is going to be portrayed for cinema-going audiences. The Guardian reports more about a long-awaited project:
“A long-gestating movie about the life of Michael Jackson is set to start production this year.
The film, called Michael, will be directed by Antoine Fuqua, whose credits include Training Day, The Equalizer and, most recently, slavery thriller Emancipation. The screenplay will come from three-time Oscar nominee John Logan, who wrote the scripts for Gladiator and Skyfall.
Michael will also be made in conjunction with the singer’s estate with co-executors John Branca and John McClain producing alongside Graham King, who has previously been involved with bringing Bohemian Rhapsody to the screen.
“The first films of my career were music videos, and I still feel that combining film and music are a deep part of who I am,” said Fuqua in a statement. “For me, there is no artist with the power, the charisma, and the sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson. I was influenced to make music videos by watching his work – the first Black artist to play in heavy rotation on MTV. His music and those images are part of my worldview, and the chance to tell his story on the screen alongside his music was irresistible.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, studio Lionsgate has claimed the film will address “all aspects of Jackson’s life” and Deadline has stated that it will “deal squarely” with more difficult issues. After the release of HBO’s two-part docuseries Leaving Neverland in 2019, which contained allegations of sexual abuse towards children by Jackson, his estate condemned it as “tabloid character assassination” and insisted his innocence.
Michael follows on from Broadway musical MJ which was a box office hit making over $83m but received mixed reviews. The Guardian’s Adrian Horton called it “mesmerising” yet “ultimately discomforting”.
Queen drama Bohemian Rhapsody was a major hit upon release making $910m worldwide and while Elvis made $287m in 2022, Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody recently struggled with less than $50m since release last month. Upcoming music biopics focused on Amy Winehouse and Leonard Bernstein are set for release later this year”.
Given the fact Jackson’s legacy and names has been blackened in recent years by allegations of child abuse, you do wonder whether the biopic will help rebuild his name – or whether many would argue it is still as strong as ever. There is the box office risk but, as this is Michael Jackson, the fanbase is large and loyal enough to see a huge profit. I wonder how critics will react to it. We do not really know what form Michael will take, and what period of Jackson’s life is focused on. I suspect that, in terms of personal revelation, it is not going to dig too deep. Even though it is said the film will address difficult issues, how far will that go?! One of the criticisms aimed at music biopics is that they whitewash over the truth and there is this sense of watering things down. I know they cannot be too revealing and explicit, but you wonder how many biopics actually get to the heart of the artist. I suspect the upcoming Amy Winehouse biopic will not linger too much on her substance abuse issues and how she was hounded by the press. Maybe it will. What I suspect is that it will concentrate on her peerless talent and incredible voice. The same might be true when it comes to Michael Jackson. I doubt there will be much on the way the press inserted their way into his life, or anything around allegations of sexual abuse. I guess the estate has a lot of say in regards what is on the screen and how much is said. It will be a shame if things were all rosy and there was no acknowledgement of the more troubled side of Michael Jackson. It does like there will be some effort to show the darker and more controversial sides of a Pop icon.
Whereas the recent Whitney Houston biopic was a chance to set the record straight and focus less on her troubles and more on her talent, there will be those who want to see some form of balance when it comes to Michael Jackson. With such a varied career (from the Jackson 5 to his solo work), there will be a lot to choose from. At the moment, there are national radio stations who do not play Michael Jackson’s music. Perhaps fearful there will be complaints, I don’t think his reputation will ever be what it was early in his career. Similarly, there will be those who attack Michael because it fails to address certain elements of his life. Whilst I do not think Jackson’s legacy is destroyed, it has definitely been damaged. He has been seen in a new (if not unexpected) light. A film might not be able to rectify that, but it will certainly prove what a musical force he was. Someone who was among the greatest artists ever, Jackson has influenced so many other artists. Last year, Thriller turned forty. A superb album where the King of Pop as near his peak, it is works like this that show what a talent he was. It is good a biopic is being made, but it needs to be handled right. There is going to be something of an effort to see Jackson more as a musical innovator and much-loved artist, rather than someone remembered for the wrong reasons. Exciting for fans of Michael Jackson, Michael will be one of the most discussed biopics of recent years. I wonder whether it will help to slightly reconfigure his legacy. There are plenty of people out there who…
CAN’T stop loving him.