Spike Lee is defending Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic after some criticized the film for excluding the music icon’s child sex abuse allegations.
The Oscar-winning director recently sat down CNNWhere he shared how much he “loved” MichaelPointing out that he saw the picture “twice.” During the interview, he also noted that the allegations “wouldn’t work in the film’s timeline,” because the biopic covers the first half of Jackson’s life, with the film ending in 1988, and the pop legend not facing his first accusation until 1993.
“First of all, if you’re a film critic, and you’re complaining about things — all this other stuff — but the movie ends in ’88,” he explained to me. “The things you’re talking about, the accusations, happen [later]. So you’re criticizing the movie for something you wanted, but it doesn’t work in the timeline of the movie. But people showed up. All over the world, people showed their love.
the Highest 2 Lowest The director continued to express his appreciation to the “Thriller” singer, who died in 2009, as well as Prince, who died in 2016.
He told me, “I miss Mike. I miss Prince. I mean, those are my brothers.” “I’ve worked with both of them. They’re both lovely, lovely people.”
As friends and collaborators, Lee directed the singer’s music video for his song “They Don’t Care About Us.” The director also directed two documentaries about Jackson’s life, including the 2012 film Bad 25 And 2016 Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall.
Although Michael Critically acclaimed, the film was a massive hit at the box office with moviegoers. It has currently grossed over $400 million worldwide, becoming one of the best music biopics of all time.
Hollywood Reporter I previously reported that the biopic underwent a major overhaul due to censorship by Michael Jackson’s estate, which supports him. Michael. Jackson’s abuse allegations initially made up much of the third act, but a former accuser reached a settlement with the estate that ensured he would never appear in any future business ventures. This led to 22 days of additional filming and reworking of the ending, pushing back the film’s release date from April 2025 to April 2026. The filmmakers are also considering a sequel to tell more of Jackson’s story.
