At the end of the hit Broadway musical based on the life of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop hurtles up through the floorboards.
Jackson’s sudden reappearance on stage in MJ: the Musical recalls the “toaster” entrance the singer made during the Dangerous world tour three decades ago. It also serves as a metaphor for the remarkable comeback his estate has orchestrated since his death of an overdose, aged 50, in 2009.
At the time, Jackson’s star had waned after years of damaging allegations — vehemently denied and never proven in court — that he was a child molester, and the extraordinary details of his private life threatened to swamp his career achievements. But today Jackson is arguably as popular as at any point in the past 30 years.
MJ has arrived in London, garlanded with Tony awards. A US tour is under way and German and Australian dates have been scheduled.
Music sales data suggests that Jackson’s appeal is growing again as the streaming industry expands around the world.
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Last month, Sony agreed to acquire half of Jackson’s catalogue in a deal that valued his assets at $1.2 billion — the largest transaction for a single musician’s work. As part of the agreement, the estate is said to have retained control over how the star’s music is used.
There is controversy brewing around the Hollywood biopic Michael, due for release in April next year and also subject to the approval of the singer’s estate.
Although the musical carefully avoids having to mention the allegations that Jackson abused young boys, the film is expected to tackle them head-on.
Michael, which features a host of A-list talent in front of and behind the camera, as well as Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar, in the lead role, is reported to portray the Peter Pan of pop as a victim preyed upon by opportunists seeking a slice of his fortune.
According to the Hollywood newsletter Puck, an early version of the script tries to downplay the allegations.
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Dan Reed is the British film-maker who made the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, which featured claims from Wade Robson and James Safechuck that Jackson had abused them as children.
Reed said he has been informed of the draft script and condemned what he described as a “complete whitewash”.
“It’s an out-and-out attempt to completely rewrite the allegations and dismiss them out of hand, and contains complete lies,” he said. “You never even see him alone with any boys, when it is a matter of fact that he shared his bed with small children for many years.”
The Jackson estate sued HBO after it broadcast Leaving Neverland, arguing that the network violated a non-disparagement clause from a 1992 contract. The case is still going through the courts. The estate subpoenaed Reed for his footage, but he has successfully fought them off.
He is making a follow-up documentary, After Neverland, which follows Robson and Safechuck’s decade-long quest for justice.
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“They are very aggressively defending their commercial asset — and that’s their job,” Reed said of John Branca and John McClain, the Jackson estate managers. “The Jackson machine has made probably going on a billion dollars since his death. They claim Wade and James are out to make money, yet the people trying to make the money is them.
“They are trying to make out that he was a saint, and yet he was a predatory paedophile who abused children.”
Robson and Safechuck have filed lawsuits against the estate and, in August, a judge in California agreed that the pair’s negligence case can proceed to trial and their allegations against the Jackson estate be heard. Pre-trial hearings are happening now. The trial will probably begin early next year — which, awkwardly for the estate, may coincide with the biopic.
The estate did not respond to a request for comment.
The extent to which Jackson has been rehabilitated is indicated by the A-list talent connected to the film, which will be directed by Antoine Fuqua, who made Training Day, and written by Oscar nominee John Logan.
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Oscar-nominated Colman Domingo is playing Jackson’s abusive father, Joe, while Miles Teller, one of the hottest young stars in Hollywood following his work in Whiplash and Top Gun: Maverick, will play Branca, Jackson’s manager.
Although some have questioned why such bankable stars would want to be involved in a contentious project, Teller has already come out swinging.
“Regardless of what you know or what your opinion may be, Michael is one of the greatest to ever do it, if not the greatest,” he told Variety at an Oscars after-party this month. “He deserves a movie, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Teller can point to strong evidence suggesting public opinion is on his side. Sales and streams of Jackson’s music have grown 37 per cent over the last three years — from 1.07 million album equivalent units in 2020 to 1.47 million in 2023 — according to the industry data provider Luminate.
Album consumption units are what the music industry uses to measure popularity in the streaming age.
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According to Billboard, Jackson may be even more beloved outside the United States: last year, consumption of his music worldwide grew by more than 38 per cent to 6.5 billion on-demand streams.
Such figures suggest the biopic stands a strong chance of success, but some experts doubt the cinema-going public will embrace a film that dismisses allegations of child molestation.
Michael Niederman, professor in cinema and television arts at Columbia College Chicago, said a “well-done biopic can rewrite history, to some degree”.
However, he does not believe there is “much wiggle room” for producers of the Jackson film, given the subject matter of the allegations, with a public backlash possible.
“That’s what I find astonishing,” Niederman said of reports that the film will address the allegations directly. “And if they think they can retcon [retrospectively revise] his story, that will be a problem in today’s world.”
Niederman believes the actors who have signed up to the biopic risk damaging their reputations, if, as the early script suggests, the project attempts to dismiss the allegations. “I think it will get very, very uncomfortable,” he said.
Reed, meanwhile, has condemned those taking part in the film. “You have some of the really top minds and top talent in Hollywood working on this, and I don’t know how they are not ashamed. In one scene Jackson tucks kids into their sleeping bags — how do they not throw up when they do these scenes?”
Jackson’s fans stress that he was never convicted of a crime.
In 1993, when Jackson was one of the biggest pop stars in the world, he was accused of molesting Jordan Chandler, 13, whose family he had befriended.
Jackson denied the allegations but settled out of court for a reported $20 million.
During the investigation into the claims, the singer was strip-searched by police — a notorious episode said to feature in an early script for the biopic.
Jackson’s reputation suffered, but worse was to come.
In 2005, he stood trial in Santa Barbara County, charged with several counts of child molesting and serving alcohol to minors at his Neverland Ranch. He was acquitted by a jury after a high-profile 14-week court case.
Fans at the Broadway show last week seemed intent on focusing on Jackson’s music rather than his controversial past.
Karla McDiarmaid, visiting from Sydney, said she had no qualms about the show. “It’s MJ!” she said. “Why not?”
