Michael Jackson
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The director of "Leaving Neverland" recently accused the film of being a "complete whitewash" of child abuse accusations against the King of Pop.
Fuqua's new film "Michael" has entered production, but Dan Reed claims that the script ignores Jackson's alleged child sexual abuse.
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The newly-minted Oscar nominee for "Rustin" will star alongside Jaafar Jackson in Lionsgate's "Michael," opening April 18, 2025.
Fiennes played the singer in a since-pulled episode of Sky Arts' anthology series "Urban Myth," stirring whitewashing backlash over the installment's trailer.
"What the total absence of outrage accompanying the announcement of this movie tells us is that Jackson’s seduction is still a living force, operating from beyond the grave," Dan Reed wrote in a new op-ed.
The film will be Jackson's acting debut.
"For me, there is no artist with the power, the charisma, and the sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson," Fuqua said of the controversial King of Pop.
"I said, 'I'm not doing it. I'm not working for him or with him and being associated with him,'" the "League of Their Own" star recalled after calling Allen a "pedophile."
The King of Pop was hoping to give an "Off the Wall" performance as Morpheus in the sci-fi series.
The Lionsgate film will be written by "The Aviator" scribe John Logan.
"It was like somebody dropped a hot poker into a fragile bowl with explosives," said composer Alan Menken about Jackson's attempt to soundtrack the 1996 film.
A new Hollywood Reporter exposé details the wild antics on and off the set of the "X-Men" franchise, including Jackson's attempt to score a leading role.
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