Antoine Fuqua on Michael Jackson Allegations
Antoine Fuqua, the director working on a new biopic about Michael Jackson, recently expressed his growing skepticism regarding the child sexual abuse claims against the pop icon.
In an interview with New Yorker, Fuqua discussed the allegations highlighted in the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland. He mentioned having to conduct significant reshoots to reshape the film’s narrative.
Despite there being five accusers and Jackson’s own admission of sharing a bed with boys, Fuqua remains unconvinced of his guilt, as noted in the New Yorker.
“Whenever I hear something about us, especially black people, especially in certain contexts, it always makes me think twice,” Fuqua shared. He also pointed out his doubts regarding the parents of some accusers, particularly regarding Chandler’s father, who allegedly threatened Jackson with immense humiliation.
As reported by Variety, the film’s narrative kicks off in 1993 with a police raid on Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, following allegations of abuse against 13-year-old Jordan Chandler.
The film then shifts back in time to portray Jackson’s life and reenacts the allegations and the lawsuit brought forth by the Chandler family, which Jackson ultimately settled for $23 million. After the settlement, the Chandler family ceased their cooperation with the investigation, which then came to a standstill.
Interestingly, the final cut of the film omits any reference to the allegations involving Jordan Chandler or his family, following a realization by Jackson’s estate lawyers about a settlement clause that barred any depiction or mention of Chandler in any film. This change also led to the removal of the originally planned opening scene featuring the police raid.
Fuqua mentioned to New Yorker that he shot the film while feeling “stripped naked and treated like an animal or a monster.”
For context, Jackson was acquitted of all charges related to the alleged abuse of 13-year-old Jordan Chandler. Furthermore, the documentary Leaving Neverland sheds light on claims of extensive sexual abuse by two of Jackson’s former friends, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who spent considerable time with him during their childhood.
