Antoine Fuqua, the director for the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, titled “Michael,” spoke out about the sexual abuse allegations against the late King of Pop and how he originally planned to tackle them in the film.
In a new interview with the New Yorker, published on Monday, Fuqua confirmed that he initially planned to touch on Jackson’s 2003 arrest, sharing, “I shot [Michael] being stripped naked, treated like an animal, a monster.”
Per the outlet, Fuqua had initially “envisioned a film that might have read as a provocative defense of its subject,” before an agreement in Michael Jackson’s settlement with the Chandler family — who accused the singer of sexually abusing their 13-year-old son, something Jackson denied — derailed this plan. Namely, the $23 million settlement forbade the Jackson estate from participating in depictions of events tied the allegation — which meant it couldn’t be included in the film.
While Fuqua was forced to pivot and ultimately reshoot parts of the movie, the outlet noted that the director found a new way to defend the deceased singer: By reminding audiences of Jackson’s tumultuous journey from child star to global icon.
And though Fuqua was unable to address the allegations in “Michael,” he did question them in his interview with the New Yorker. According to the outlet, the director was “not convinced that Jackson did what he is accused of doing.”
“When I hear things about us—Black people in particular, especially in a certain position—there’s always pause,” Fuqua said, before citing Elvis Presley as a double standard. (The late King of Rock infamously met his wife, Priscilla Presley, when was just 14, moving her into Graceland at 17.)
Specifically, the outlet said Fuqua was “skeptical” of the Chandler patriarch, Evan, who had been recorded while threatening to see Jackson “humiliated beyond belief.” He died in 2009 by suicide shortly after Jackson.
While Fuqua made it clear that he doesn’t know the truth surrounding the highly-publicized accusations against Jackson, he noted, “Sometimes people do some nasty things for some money.”
The singer faced 10 charges in 2005 tied to the alleged sexual abuse of a different 13-year-old. After denying all of the allegations against him and participating in a 14-week trial, Jackson was acquitted on all counts. However, the controversy resurfaced in 2019 when a documentary, titled “Leaving Neverland,” brought about new allegations from two of Jackson’s alleged victims.
“Michael,” which stars Jaafar Jackson as the titular pop star, arrives in theaters on Friday.
