The estate of Michael Jackson gives formal permission for a biopic to move forward, with Lionsgate signing up to distribute the film.
Well, it was going to happen eventually, but don’t expect this to be without controversy. The estate of the late singer Michael Jackson has granted official permission for a biopic of him, that’s now in development. It’s going to be produced by Graham King, and John Logan has been hired to write a screenplay for the movie.
King previously produced the Oscar-winning Bohemian Rhapsody, one of the team that delivered a pretty sanitised 12A certificate film, that grossed nearly $1bn at the global box office.
John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate, are also co-producing the film, and it’s going by the name of Michael. Lionsgate has picked up the rights to the project, which is clearly going to be overseen to a degree by the late Jackson’s estate.
The project has been in some degree of development for a couple of years now, but this is the big step forward it probably needed. An official press release declares that the film “will give audiences an in-depth portrayal of the complicated man who became the King of Pop. It will bring to life Jackson’s most iconic performances as it gives an informed insight into the entertainer’s artistic process and personal life”.
Just how it addresses the last few years of Jackson’s life and the controversies that we’d imagine everybody reading this is very aware of remains to be seen.
More as we hear it.
