Antoine Fuqua spent millions reshaping his Michael Jackson biopic after discovering a clause that forced him to cut the film’s entire opening act.
The director’s original vision opened with police raiding Neverland Ranch in 1993, depicting Jackson being “stripped naked, treated like an animal, a monster.”
But attorneys for the Jackson estate realized that the settlement with accuser Jordan Chandler contained language prohibiting any depiction or mention of him in any movie.
That meant everything had to go, and fast. The reshoots cost up to $15 million and took 22 days last June to completely restructure the narrative.
Fuqua and his cast reassembled to rebuild what had been the film’s dramatic foundation, essentially starting from scratch with a new ending that focuses on Jackson at the height of his career and the tension between him and his father Joe.
According to The New Yorker, Fuqua expressed skepticism about some of the allegations against Jackson over the years, noting that “when I hear things about us, Black people in particular, especially in a certain position, there’s always pause.”
The director wasn’t convinced Jackson did what he’s been accused of, despite five accusers coming forward and Jackson himself publicly discussing sharing his bed with boys.
Jackson faced 10 charges in 2005 related to the alleged abuse of a 13-year-old and was acquitted on all counts, while the 2019 documentary “Leaving Neverland” brought forward two additional accusers with their own stories.
Fuqua expressed particular skepticism about some accusers’ parents, specifically noting that Jordan Chandler’s father had been recorded threatening to ensure Jackson was “humiliated beyond belief.”
“Sometimes people do some nasty things for some money,” Fuqua said when discussing the motivations behind various allegations.
The Jackson estate covered the entire reshoot bill because their legal team’s error necessitated the changes, essentially absorbing the cost of restructuring the entire third act.