Spike Lee has only praise for the new “Michael” film, and is defending it against criticism that the child sexual abuse allegations against Michael Jackson were excluded.
The “Do the Right Thing” director told CNN that the allegations don’t work with the film’s timeline, which follows Jackson’s rise to fame from his childhood in the 60s to 1988, when the global superstar is on his first international solo tour. The first child sexual abuse allegation against Jackson came later in 1993.
“First of all, if you’re a movie critic, and you’re complaining about the stuff, all this other stuff—but the movie ends at ’88. The stuff you’re talking about, accusations, happen [later],” he said. “So you’re critiquing the film on something that you want in, but it doesn’t work in the timeline of the film. But people showed up. Worldwide, people showed their love.”
Lee’s sentiments also echo those of some of the film’s actors. Nia Long and Colman Domingo, who play Katherine Jackson and Joseph Jackson, addressed the omission on the “Michael” press tour, Domingo saying the film was “centered on the makings of Michael,” rather than the artist’s life after he reached the peak of fame.
The film, which stars Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, has been a smash at the box office, debuting with $97 million domestically and $217 million worldwide. It is the highest-grossing music biopic since “Straight Outta Compton,” which came out in 2015.
In order for “Michael” to cross the finish line, the film had to undergo major reshoots, which cost an additional $15 million to its $155 million budget, to remove a finale where police follow Jackson and investigate his Neverland Ranch for evidence of child abuse.
The biopic originally wrapped in 2024, but production was set back when the Michael Jackson estate cited legal issues involving a settlement made with the Chandler family, who had accused him of molesting their son, Jordan Chandler, in 1993. The settlement reportedly prohibits Jackson’s estate from dramatizing the Chandlers or their story.
Director Antoine Fuqua, Long, and Domingo have all said that there could be a sequel to this film where there may be an opportunity to explore the allegations.
