The sequel to Michael will address child abuse allegations against Michael Jackson “from his point of view”, says his nephew Jafaar Jackson.
- READ MORE: ‘Michael’ review: safe, shiny reminder of the King Of Pop’s musical genius
The first film, which follows the life of the late King of Pop, features his nephew Jaafar Jackson portraying the star, following the beginning of his career in the Jackson 5 up until the ‘Bad’ world tour in the late 1980s.
Michael notably didn’t include any reference to the child sexual abuse allegations against Jackson, though the story was included in the initial screenplay. However, a clause in a legal settlement was discovered, which forbid the Jackson estate from mentioning one of the accusers, Jordan Chandler, meaning that the production spent $15million on reshoots. The movie ultimately ended at a different point in Jackson’s life, shifting the narrative tension onto his relationship with his father, Joe (Colman Domingo).
Earlier this month, it was revealed that the sequel is officially set to start filming later this year, and now Jaafar has provided some insight into the potential plot.
Speaking to GQ Middle East, the actor said it will depict the abuse allegations “from [Michael’s] point of view.”
“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 said. “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,” he added.
The article notes the screenplay is still in development and that Jafaar has no real say in its story, but is rather noting what he would like to see.
After debuting to the largest-ever opening weekend for a biopic and subsequently becoming the highest-grossing biopic ever made, beating Oppenheimer, last month it was confirmed that Michael had taken in £1.001billion (£750million) globally, making it the first of its genre to pass the milestone.
In NME’s three-star review of Michael, we said: “Michael feels like a job well done: it’s a slick, accessible advert for Jackson’s incredible imperial phase. But if the singer’s estate wanna be startin’ somethin’ bigger like a film franchise, they’ll have their work cut out.”
In other news, earlier this summer, James Safechuck and Wade Robson from Leaving Neverland were given a new trial date for 2028.
Safechuck previously shared a statement in support of child sex abuse survivors amid the release of the Jackson biopic Michael. Dan Reed, who directed Leaving Neverland, claimed this spring that the late singer was “worse than Jeffrey Epstein”, while also questioning why Michael failed to address the abuse allegations.
Elsewhere, earlier this month, a child sex trafficking lawsuit against Jackson‘s estate was thrown out of court.
The Jackson estate has adamantly and repeatedly denied all allegations of abuse against the late singer.
For more help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
