Michael star Jaafar Jackson has revealed that the sequel to the blockbuster biopic will explore the pop icon’s child abuse allegations from his “point of view”.
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The story of Michael Jackson’s rise to fame has been one of the most successful films of the year, surpassing $1billion (£731million) to become the highest-grossing biopic of all time. The film’s timeline begins with Jackson’s childhood and ends at the peak of his fame as an adult, during the ‘Bad’ world tour in the late ‘80s.
The film was originally meant to address the child abuse scandal that surrounded the singer in the later years of his life, however a clause in the settlement made with one of his accusers prevented them from being portrayed on film, leading to reshoots that cost a reported $15million (£10.9million).
In 1993, Evan Chandler, a dentist and screenwriter based in Los Angeles, accused Jackson of sexually abusing his 13-year-old son Jordan, which he denied. The case was concluded when the two parties reached a financial settlement in 1994.
In 2013, four years after Jackson’s death, choreographer Wade Robson filed a lawsuit against his estate, saying Jackson had sexually abused him between the ages of seven and 14. Former child actor James Safechuck also came forward with allegations.
Jackson’s estate has continuously denied all allegations of sexual abuse made against him.
Now, Jaafar Jackson, who played the adult version of his uncle Michael in the film, has told GQ that the script for the sequel, which is currently in development, will attempt to include the scandal from the artist’s perspective.
“I think the second film will give even more insight from his point of view, because at the end of the day, [the allegations] are always from someone else’s,” he told the outlet. “It’s someone else’s story. It’s someone else’s idea of what it is, and it’s mainly driven by an agenda. And that’s really the issue we’ve been having as a family – not having Michael’s voice being heard. I think that’s very, very important, especially in the late years.”
Recently, a shooting date for the sequel to Michael was scheduled, with production to begin later this year with a view to releasing it in late 2027 or early 2028.