Michael, the recently released biopic of Michael Jackson, has been severely criticised by the director of Leaving Neverland, the 2019 documentary that chronicled claims against Jackson of child sexual abuse by Wade Robson and James Safechuck.
In an interview with Variety, Dan Reed, who was subject to death threats after Leaving Neverland was released, said: “What the movie does is creates a version of events that essentially portrays Wade, James and others who’ve accused Jackson of child sexual abuse as liars without actually articulating it.”
Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan, centres on Jackson’s early years and first steps as a music star, performing with his brothers in the Jackson Five and culminating with his 1988 concert in London after he had gone solo, to enormous success.
Reed said that he had seen the film and “there’s zero insight into what makes Jackson tick”, adding: “He’s this asexual plastic action doll of a figure in the film. And of course, the issue of his relationship with children is completely distorted by the fact that they portray him as an eccentric, overgrown child, which we know is not the full story.”
According to Reed, the film fundamentally fails to tackle Jackson’s predatory relationship with children. “They’re saying that the reason Jackson liked children is because he’s an angel and just wanted to be nice to children, not that he wanted to have sex with them … Why are they dancing around this? It’s well-known that Jackson spent a long time with small-boy companions, including taking them into his bed at night and locking the door, which is undisputed – and that alone, if someone made a claim, is probably enough to convict him in a court of child sexual abuse – but with Jackson, none of this stuff seems to matter.”
In an interview with the New Yorker, Fuqua cast doubt on Jackson’s accusers and suggested some of the rhetoric around the controversy was borne of racism.
“When I hear things about us – Black people in particular, especially in a certain position – there’s always pause,” said Fuqua, before suggesting a double standard was in play by mentioning that Elvis Presley met his future wife, Priscilla, when she was 14.
The director further questioned the motives behind some of the allegations, and added: “sometimes people do some nasty things for some money”. Reed rebutted his remark, calling Fuqua “someone who’s made tens of millions pushing a false narrative around a man who’s a paedophile, that’s a nasty thing.”
He added: “And as far as the money goes, [director] Antoine Fuqua reportedly earned $25m for making Michael. Obviously, the [Jackson] estate is going to make a huge amount of money. Everyone’s going to make money except – guess who? – Wade and James. They’ve never made a penny.”
Michael was released on Friday to record box office figures for a biopic in the US and UK, grossing $217m (£161m) worldwide.
Jackson’s daughter Paris publicly criticised the film’s script in September, denying that she was involved and saying: “A big section of the film panders to a very specific section of my dad’s fandom that still lives in the fantasy.”
Reed said: “The film just flips the truth on its head – black is white, white is black, and two and two make five … it’s a movie that’s impossible to take seriously.” Reed added: “He’s become part of the collective imagination, and the collective imagination can never include the fact that he’s a pedophile.”