Here’s some news that certainly won’t be met with controversy!
Deadline is reporting that Graham King, producer behind Bohemian Rhapsody, has secured the rights to Michael Jackson’s life and music and is planning to make a film about the pop star, to be written by Oscar winner John Logan. No studio has yet claimed the project but you can be sure that it will be a hot commodity in Hollywood, despite any sort of backlash or heat it may bring.
Look, I don’t have to tell you that Michael Jackson is a complicated figure, to be put it gently. The man leaves behind some brilliant music and a lot of speculation and mixed emotions. The idea of a musical biopic that doesn’t acknowledge Jackson’s entire history sounds like a bad idea but Deadline says that King’s proposed film plans to focus on everything and I mean EVERYTHING. They say it won’t be “sanitized.” However, King retained the rights from the Jackson estate so you wonder how true that is. Surely, the Jackson family wouldn’t be too keen on a movie that looks into and comments on the multiple sexual abuse allegations levied at the King of Pop. But, then again, maybe they truly do want a film that examines all of Jackson’s legacy, even parts that they may not agree with.
You can bet that news of a Jackson biopic will be met with a lot of excitement and a lot of anger. Though the icon has been dead since 2009, his life has come under renewed scrutiny over the last few years with new allegations and the Leaving Neverland documentary. There are some people who think the man didn’t do anything wrong and some who think that he was a complete monster. All the while his music is still some of the most successful and popular art of all time. Some — even some who believe the allegations against him — still love listening to his music. Some do not. Jackson’s name alone can bring arguments and high, high emotion. It’s…a lot. Sounds like a fun time at the cinema!
There are a lot of questions about a Michael Jackson film: which studio will pick up the project? How brutal and honest and authentic will John Logan’s script be? Who will direct? And who can they get to portray the late singer? That is definitely the role of a lifetime but, like the film itself, it will come with a lot of baggage.
Of all the upcoming musical biographies on the horizon, a film about Michael Jackson is probably the biggest fish of them all. The movie will have a lot of tricky waters to navigate and has a chance to piss off a lot of people and stir up tons of feelings. It also has a chance to be one of the biggest — if not the biggest — musical biopic of all time. It doesn’t get much bigger than Michael Jackson.