Michael star Jaafar Jackson has opened up about the film’s scrapped third act.
Jaafar made his big-screen debut in the recent biopic about his late uncle Michael Jackson, which was panned by critics but made more than a billion dollars at the global box office.
A sticking point for many critics was the fact that the movie didn’t include the many controversies surrounding the musician in his lifetime, most notably the allegations of child sexual abuse that were levelled against him.
In fact, the movie’s original script was supposed to include these accusations, and a sequence depicting a police raid at the Neverland ranch was even shot.
However, this had to be scrapped when the Jackson family discovered a legal clause in a settlement between the Billie Jean singer and one of his accusers, insisting that their likeness and name must never be used in a movie.
As a result, director Antoine Fuquaa had to retool the film, shifting the plot to focus more on the conflict between Michael Jackson and his father, and bringing back the cast for costly reshoots, which were paid for by the Jackson family.
When asked about this during a new interview with Variety, Jaafar recalled: “It was a massive shoot. I’ve heard many stories from other actors about how much you shoot on a project that doesn’t make it into the final picture.
“In the editing room, you go through scenes looking for specific performances or takes and things change constantly. So going in, I knew not everything we shot would make it into the final picture.
“But for me, it was the most rewarding experience because even the things that weren’t used, the experience I got from them, made me a better actor.”
He continued: “I feel like that will happen many more times with [future acting projects]. You wish a certain performance was in there and it’s not. That’s something you have to deal with when making a film.”
Over the summer, Jaafar teased that a much-hyped sequel to Michael would include details of the abuse allegations that were not featured in the first film.
“I think the second film will give even more insight from [Michael Jackson’s] point of view, because at the end of the day, [the allegations] are always from someone else’s [point of view],” he told GQ Middle East. “It’s someone else’s story. It’s someone else’s idea of what it is, and it’s mainly driven by an agenda.
“And that’s really the issue we’ve been having as a family – not having Michael’s voice being heard. I think that’s very, very important, especially in [his later] years.”
During his Variety interview, he said of the sequel’s production schedule: “I haven’t been told anything concrete, but whatever decision is made, I’m more than ready to get back into it and excited for where that goes.
“I haven’t been told a date or anything solid yet. As far as my schedule, it’s open.”
Meanwhile, filmmaker Antoine Fuqua claimed earlier this year that moving into a Michael sequel, his intention would be to not “sensationalise” any details of the Grammy winner’s story.
“Being a movie star, rock star, superstar like Michael, there’s enough of that already,” the director noted. “You don’t have to do much. But I think the key is, like, who was he as a human being? Stay on that path and then we’ll be OK, because that’s what it’s about. It’s a biopic, it’s about a human being, he’s a real person.
“So that’s the key. People have to remember that.”
