Hanoi [Vietnam], October 22: Despite much controversy, the second part will explore the turbulent period in the life of 'the king of pop' Michael Jackson.
A sequel to the Michael Jackson film is coming soon.
Despite the criticism leveled at the Michael Jackson biographical film released earlier this year, director Antoine Fuqua's work was a resounding success at the box office, surpassing even Oppenheimer to become the highest-grossing biographical film of all time. This reception has made a sequel almost certain. According to The Guardian , the most intense criticism of the first film was its complete avoidance of the child sexual abuse allegations related to Michael Jackson .
Part of the reason stemmed from legal hurdles, as one of the whistleblowers was not allowed to appear in the fictional work. To adjust the script, the Jackson family even spent $50 million (approximately 1.27 trillion VND) to reshoot many segments and cut out the scene of the police searching the Neverland ranch.
In an interview with the media, actor Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson's nephew and the actor who played his uncle, appeared quite calm about the many scenes cut from the first version of the film. He stated that editing and changing plot details in the editing room is very normal for film projects.
Voices from the inside
According to The Guardian , Jaafar Jackson revealed that the sequel will no longer shy away from the controversy. However, the story will be told from the perspective of the accused himself.
"I think the second part will offer a deeper insight from Uncle Michael's perspective, because until now the accusations have always come from others," Jaafar shared. He emphasized that the most important thing for the family right now is that Michael's voice needs to be heard, especially in his final years.
The young actor also shared that despite enduring countless hardships and harsh rumors, Michael Jackson's sincerity and kind spirit never changed.
Director Antoine Fuqua, speaking to The Guardian, affirmed that the new film will absolutely not use sensationalist details to attract viewers. The team's goal is to truthfully portray the true nature of Michael Jackson behind the spotlight.
Michael Jackson was one of the greatest music legends in history, with over 500 million records sold. However, his life was always overshadowed by allegations of child sexual abuse in 1993 and 2005, before his sudden death in 2009 at the age of 50.
The Guardian quoted Dan Reed, director of the controversial documentary Leaving Neverland (2019), as reacting harshly to Fuqua's biographical film, arguing that it distorted the truth by attempting to portray Michael Jackson as an eccentric "grown-up child" to appease the public.
Despite the heated controversies surrounding the project, the second part is still receiving significant attention from fans worldwide, as audiences eagerly await to see how the team will handle this sensitive historical issue.
Source: Thanh Nein Newspaper