Michael Jackson Biopic Blindsided by Deal with Family of Molestation Accuser, Faces Massive Reshoot – Report
Certainly this could have been avoided? According to a bombshell report in Puck, Lionsgate‘s upcoming Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” faces massive rewrites and reshoots because of a deal the Jackson estate made years ago with the family of one of the performer’s child molestation accusers. Lionsgate did not return calls seeking comment.
In November 2024, Lionsgate announced that “Michael,” directed by Antoine Fuqua, would be delayed from a April 2025 release to October 3, 2025. According to Puck, the problem lay with an agreement between Jackson’s legal team and the family of Jordan Chandler, the then-13-year-old who accused Jackson of molestation in 1993.
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That deal, made years before the movie began development, specifically excludes the Chandler family from any movies about Jackson’s life. However, the “Michael” script began and ended in 1993 with the Chandler accusations, with a third act that hinges on the legal drama surrounding the Chandlers’ eventual $20 million settlement.
Puck reported that the Jackson estate, overseen by John Branca, vetted the script but somehow overlooked the Chandler agreement, informing filmmakers of the snafu in September 2024… just as the film entered post-production. Fuqua, producer Graham King, and writer John Logan are now seeking approval for script changes from Lionsgate and Universal. Puck adds that the Jackson estate will cover the cost of the reshoots; the film already had a $150 million budget.
According to a September 2024 story in Financial Times, Branca made hush payments to five Jackson accusers after the release of HBO’s 2019 documentary “Leaving Neverland.” However, one of the accusers sought further payment in 2024 and that’s when the Jackson estate filed an arbitration claim.
Only then, according to Puck, did the “Michael” learn about the hush payments as well as the Chandler problem.
It’s beyond daunting to rewrite a film for reshoots six months before release. However, even if Lionsgate and Universal approve of the technical solutions — the script makes sense, production can be completed — it must also calculate for a known unknown: What else might happen? Already, the estate is battling “Finding Neverland” subjects Wade Robson and James Safechuck in court, with a trial currently scheduled for 2026; how many other legal battles might surface in the wake of “Michael”?
Lionsgate teased footage of “Michael” back in April 2024 at CinemaCon, saying the film promised to “get into all of it,” suggesting that it would address the molestation accusations.
Lionsgate and an attorney for Jackson’s estate did not return a request for comment. Universal, which distributes the film internationally, had no comment.
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