‘Leaving Neverland’ director announces new Michael Jackson documentary
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(Credit: Alamy)
The follow-up to the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, which explored allegations of sexual abuse against children by Michael Jackson, is set for release in March.
The upcoming film, Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson, comes from the same director, Dan Reed, as the first documentary. It will be released through British broadcaster Channel 4.
HBO will not be involved in the project, unlike Leaving Neverland. They were sued by Jackson’s estate after it was claimed the broadcaster broke a non-disparagement clause it signed in 1992 relating to the airing of a concert film from the late singer’s Dangerous World tour.
Distributor Sphere Abacus has shared the following synopsis for the hour-long documentary: “Filmed over five years with full access to Wade, James, their families and legal teams, Leaving Neverland II: Surviving Michael Jackson tells the story of a difficult journey and its many twists, turns and setbacks.”
The film again focuses on Wade Robson and James Safechuck, whose allegations against Jackson were the basis for the 2019 documentary series, such as the public backlash they received after Leaving Neverland was broadcast.
Sphere Abacus have also confirmed they will make a third documentary which will complete their Leaving Neverland trilogy.
Last month, it was revealed that the upcoming biopic, Michael, has become jeopardised due to a legal agreement made in 1993 regarding an agreement Jackson made following an accusation of sexual abuse.
The film boasts a budget of $150 million, and shooting had concluded on the project before they realised this agreement was in place. According to a report by Puck, “the film’s third act, in particular, hinges specifically on the impact” of the legal case involving then-13-year-old Jordan Chandler, who accused Jackson of sexual misconduct and reached an out-of-court settlement with the singer for $23 million.
However, the report alleges, “Years before signing off on the Michael movie with the Chandlers featured in the script, Jackson’s team agreed they would never include the family in any such movie.” It’s claimed they signed a legal agreement which prohibited the Chandler family from being used in any dramatic story, which renders an important portion of the biopic unusable.
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