Director Antoine Fuqua is speaking out as he works on his upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, saying he remains skeptical of long-standing child sex abuse claims against the late pop star.
In a recent interview with The New Yorker, Fuqua addressed the controversy while discussing major changes to the film’s structure, including extensive reshoots. The director said he is not convinced Jackson committed the acts he has been accused of, even after years of public scrutiny and multiple accusers.
“When I hear things about us, Black people in particular, especially in a certain position, there’s always pause,” Fuqua said. He also raised concerns about the motives of some accusers’ families, pointing in part to Jordan Chandler’s father, who was recorded saying he would make sure Jackson was “humiliated beyond belief.”
According to Variety, the film originally opened with a 1993 police raid on Jackson’s Neverland Ranch tied to allegations involving 13-year-old Jordan Chandler. The story then moved backward to tell Jackson’s life and later returned to the allegations and the civil case brought by the Chandler family.
Jackson settled that case for $23 million, and the investigation ended after the family stopped cooperating with prosecutors. He was never convicted in that matter.
Those elements are no longer part of the film. Reports say lawyers for Jackson’s estate discovered a clause in the settlement that prevents any depiction or mention of Chandler in a movie. As a result, the Neverland raid and related storyline were removed.
Fuqua said his original vision showed Jackson under intense scrutiny. “Being stripped naked, treated like an animal, a monster,” he said.
Jackson was later acquitted of 10 criminal charges in a separate case involving another minor. Still, allegations continued to follow his legacy, especially after the release of the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, which featured claims from Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who both said they were abused as children.
The new film now moves forward without direct reference to the Chandler case, as debate over Jackson’s legacy continues to divide fans and critics.
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English (US) · 