The director of ‘Leaving Neverland’ charges against the biopic of Michael Jackson

The upcoming Michael Jackson biopic from ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ producer Graham King has gathered steam in recent weeks: Antoine Fuqua has been recruited to direct and the pop star’s nephew, Jafaar Jackson, has been chosen to play him.. The project comes nearly four years after the Dan Reed-directed HBO documentary ‘Leaving Neverland,’ one of the most controversial documentaries in movie history, shed new light on child molestation allegations against the pop star. . Although the documentary made many fans see Jackson under this new spotlight of alleged culprit, the director says he still believes the allegations are not being taken seriously enough.

In a new opinion piece on GuardianReed reiterated his criticism of Jackson and why he still believes the singer is guilty despite being cleared before the law: “The most shocking vision of ‘Leaving Neverland’, and the most painful for any parent to accept, is that, as part of the grooming process, the predator makes the child fall in love with him, luring them into a kind of guilty complicity in the abuse“, Reed wrote. “So victims of child sexual abuse, bewildering to the uninitiated, will cover up for their abusers and protect them for years or decades. That’s why Robson became a key defense witness in Jackson’s 2005 child molestation trial and was instrumental in winning Jackson’s acquittal. The jury believed Robson and found the singer not guilty. He now admits that he lied in court to protect his mentor and abuser.”

Reed went on to criticize the media for its coverage of the project and what he sees as a downplaying of the allegations. “What the complete absence of outrage accompanying the announcement of this film tells us is that Jackson’s seduction remains a living force, operating from beyond the grave.“, wrote. “It seems that the press, his fans and the large number of older people who grew up loving Jackson are willing to put aside his unhealthy relationship with the children and follow the music.“.

Reed concluded his piece by writing, “I say to the filmmakers: How will you depict the moment when Jackson, a grown man in his 30s, takes a child by the hand and leads him into that room? How will you describe what happens?” next? By dodging the issue of Jackson’s penchant for abusing young children, he is sending a message to millions of survivors of child sexual abuse. That message is: if a pedophile is rich and popular enough, society will forgive him.“.

The already controversial biopic will begin production in 2023, so it is quite likely that it will be released in 2024.