The Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” hits theaters Friday, and it’s been faced with fiery reactions from audiences and critics over its handling of the child sex abuse claims that first began in the 1990s.
Co-stars Colman Domingo and Nia Long responded to the outcry on NBC’s “Today” Wednesday morning, explaining that the Antoine Fuqua film, which doesn’t cover the allegations, is about the making of Jackson, not his later years.
“Today” anchor Craig Melvin asked on the morning program what Long and Domingo say to those who feel the movie was “whitewashed” to remove any mention of the allegations. Domingo took the lead from there.
“The film takes place from the ’60s to 1988. It does not go into the first allegations in 2005,” Domingo responded. “So basically we center it on the makings of Michael. It’s an intimate portrait of who Michael is …through his eyes.”
The actor, however, teased a potential sequel to the biopic, which he shared “may deal with some things that happened afterward.”
“That’s what this film — and there’s a possibility of it being a Part 2 that may deal with some other things that happened afterward. This is about the making of Michael, how he was raised and then how he was trying to find his voice as an artist and be a solo artist.”
Watch the “Today” clip below:
The film is executive produced by Jackson’s estate executors John Branca and John McClain, alongside filmmaker Fuqua.
Reviews for the film have come in with some critics calling it “masterful” while others have slammed it as a “very safe and cautious exploration” of Jackson’s life and career. It earned a Rotten Tomatoes score of between 26% and 35% from certified critics.
There are no confirmed details about whether or not there will be a sequel or what the next chapter will include. The film was reportedly set to address the allegations initially but it was ultimately re-shot and re-edited to not include the scandal.
For now, there’s been a wave of discourse about the film from fans and media online, and the Jackson family has been speaking out about it as well.
On Tuesday, Jackson’s nephew, Taj Jackson, son of Tito Jackson, called out the media for trying to “control” the narrative around the mega star.
“Sorry media, u don’t get to control the narrative anymore of who Michael Jackson truly was. The public gets to watch this movie … they will decide for themselves,” Taj wrote. “And you can’t handle that.”
Jackson’s real-life nephew, Jaafar Jackson, stars in the film as the formative pop star.
Fuqua, meanwhile, recently spoke his mind about the allegations in an interview with the New Yorker, saying that he is “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,” he said.
