Photo by Jim Ruymen – Pool/Getty Images
The upcoming Michael Jackson biopic Michael has reportedly run into serious trouble, with the film’s entire third act “deemed legally unusable” over its depiction of the father of one of Jackson’s child sexual abuse accusers, as Screen Rant points out via Puck.
According to Puck journalist Matt Belloni, the film centers on the 1993 allegations of child sex abuse Jackson faced. That year, Jackson was accused of assaulting 13-year-old Jordan Chandler by the boy’s father, Evan. Jackson was criminally investigated and the Chandlers sued him; a financial settlement was reached in January of 1994.
Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua and created in close collaboration with the late singer’s estate, “depicts Jackson as the naïve victim of the money-grubbing Chandlers,” Belloni writes. In the third act, Jackson’s legal team led by John Branca and Johnnie Cochran (played by Miles Teller and Derek Luke, respectively) debate settling the case, and play a recording where Evan Chandler says he will use his son’s claims to destroy Jackson’s career.
However, years before Michael went into production with a reported $150 million budget, the singer’s estate allegedly signed a contract with Evan Chandler that prevents them from depicting him or any of his family in a motion picture. The agreement was reportedly overlooked when the film went into production, and will prevent the completed picture from including several important scenes and plot points.
The news has sent the team behind the film scrambling for a solution. Fuqua, producer Graham King, and screenwriter John Logan are reportedly working on a new script and a schedule for reshoots to present to Universal. However, if Universal does not agree to the changes, the studio may pull out entirely from the project.
For now, Michael is slated for release on October 3. The FADER has reached out to Michael Jackson’s estate for more information.
