It was only a matter of time before the news would come that Michael Jackson would be getting his own feature film biopic. According to Deadline, Bohemian Rhapsody producer Graham King has secured the rights to Jackson’s life from the Michael Jackson estate.
The film isn’t intended to be “a sanitized rendering of Jackson’s life.” It’s explained that in this case, “the complexity of Jackson’s life is well known and will not be ignored in a film that will span his entire life, which ended with his tragic death in June 2009 at age 50. He became a star as a child and a global icon as an adult, but his childhood was not an easy one, and in adulthood he had to defend himself and paid out settlements over allegations of sexual abuse of child companions who routinely stayed at his house for sleepovers.”
I’ve been a fan of Michael Jackson ever since I was a kid. I understand that there’s a lot of controversy surrounding the entertainer, but I grew up loving his music and I still enjoy it today! It’s great to hear that he is getting a biopic and that it will dive into all the good, bad, and controversial aspects of his life.
The project is set up at King’s GK Films and screenwriter John Logan (The Aviator, Red, Skyfall, Spectre, Hugo, Rango) was hired to write the script. This guy has written some great films, and I think he’s got what it takes to tell Jackson’s story. I think The Aviator is a perfect example of a great and honest biopic.