It was bound to happen, eventually. And thanks to the man who kickstarted this recent trend of musical biopics, “Bohemian Rhapsody” producer Graham King, we are going to get the biopic that many expected but were concerned about — Michael Jackson, the King of Pop.
According to Deadline, King has acquired the rights to the singer’s life story, and most importantly, his music for a new biopic that he is currently developing. The report also says that King has already brought on three-time Oscar-nominated screenwriter John Logan to pen the script and help develop the film. Logan is probably best known for films such as “Gladiator,” “The Aviator,” and “Hugo,” all of which earned Academy Award noms.
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But let’s be honest here, unlike “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Rocketman,” or even the controversial David Bowie biopic that’s about to be released, the story of the life, career, and death of Michael Jackson is hardly uplifting. In fact, issues of child abuse, sexual molestation allegations, legal feuds, and marriage/relationship drama (some might say hoaxes) are all well-documented parts of Jackson’s life story. And that’s not even taking into account the fact that he’s one of the best-selling, most popular musical artists of all time. Obviously, this is a film that has the potential to go awry very quickly.
Deadline’s report says that the film will tackle the controversy that surrounded Jackson, but considering the family of the late-singer is who gave King the rights and access to the music, you can’t help but be concerned we’re looking at the potential of another “Bohemian Rhapsody” situation. That film, while Oscar-winning and a box office smash hit, was criticized pretty heavily for how it distorted Freddie Mercury’s story and Queen’s history to better suit the film, omitting large parts and skimming over the more controversial, salacious bits.
Can we expect one feature film to not only give us the triumphant story of a young singing sensation that transitioned into a megastar as an adult, dominating the charts and influences a whole genre but also give audiences a peek into his deeply troubling personal life that includes all the aforementioned issues? That’s the big question.
If the goal is to tell the story in the most accurate way possible, we have an idea of what the film might look like. However, if the goal is to make $1 billion and please the Jackson estate, King’s film could be even more controversial than ‘Rhapsody.’