Michael Jackson Biopic ‘Michael’ Criticized for Whitewashing Abuse Allegations

Rosanna McLaughlin critiques the new Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael’, directed by Antoine Fuqua, for its extensive revisionism. The film, financed by the Jackson estate, covers Jackson’s life from childhood to 1993, deliberately omitting the child sexual assault allegations that surfaced in 1994. The estate spent $15 million on reshoots to remove abuse references. Despite this, the film grossed $217 million globally in its first week, breaking the record set by ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ ($124 million in 2018). McLaughlin highlights how the film simplifies Jackson’s skin color change (attributing it to vitiligo), his animal collecting (presented as saintly), and his relationships with children (shown as charitable). The casting of Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson continues the family business. The film also rehabilitates lawyer John Branca, who was fired by Jackson in 2003 but became coexecutor of his estate after reconciling eight days before Jackson’s death. The estate has since earned over $3.5 billion from Jackson, with Branca taking 5% profit. McLaughlin compares ‘Michael’ to other estate-approved biopics like ‘Back to Black’ and argues that the film avoids psychological depth, serving as long-form advertising for a controversial legacy.