‘Michael’ Biopic Was ‘Rewriting History’ With Abuse Allegation Scenes, Said ‘Leaving Neverland’ Director
Dan Reed, the director of Leaving Neverland, said he read a leaked version of the script for Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic. While the final version of the film does not delve into the allegations of child sexual abuse against Jackson, an earlier version did. The film has faced criticism for this omission, but Reed said that the way it tackled the allegations was “rewriting history.”
The director of ‘Leaving Neverland’ disliked the way ‘Michael’ tackled abuse allegations
Michael initially included scenes of Jackson dealing with the allegations of abuse against him in the film’s third act. The Jackson estate later realized that a settlement with one of the accusers included a clause that he could not be mentioned or depicted in a film. As a result, the film cut out mention of the allegations.
Reed said he read an earlier version of the script that still included these scenes.
“I was astonished that the estate had the confidence to directly try and address the child sexual abuse allegations,” he told The Guardian.
He claimed that it included “a number of outright distortions.” He also said that it altered the facts of a strip search performed on Jackson in 1993. Police said the 13-year-old accuser made a drawing of Jackson’s genitalia that matched the photos taken in the search.
“Not just the genitalia,” deputy district attorney Lauren Weis said. “But a particular mark on the underside of his penis which the victim described.”
According to Reed, the film changed this.
“It was stated that the photograph and the drawing did not match,” Reed said. “That’s not the case. It was rewriting history.”
The director of ‘Leaving Neverland’ believes Michael Jackson was worse than Jeffrey Epstein
Though Michael received a poor critical reception, it has made millions at the box office. Reed believes people are willing to overlook the allegations because of Jackson’s popularity as an artist.
“So a lot of people, I think, will kind of swallow any misgivings they may have and just sort of say, ‘Oh well, it’s a great jukebox movie’ and just completely ignore the fact that this guy was worse than Jeffrey Epstein,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
The Jackson estate was recently hit with another lawsuit from four siblings who claim Jackson sexually abused them for years.
“I think Jackson was genuinely a very nasty man and hurt a lot of children,” Reed said. “And he may have been a great entertainer, but those two things don’t cancel each other out. The fact is that pedophiles exist, and he was one of them, and he made those choices. Many other people who’ve been abused as a child did not choose to abuse others.”
He shared why the film is no longer available to watch
While Michael is in theaters, it is very difficult to watch Leaving Neverland. Shortly after the documentary’s release, the Jackson estate sued HBO.
“The Michael Jackson estate had a contract which Jackson had signed with HBO for a concert recording in Budapest in 1992,” Reed explained. “The contract contained a non-disparagement clause.”
They ultimately settled out of court, but HBO removed the documentary in 2024.
“The estate argued that the non-disparagement clause, which says, ‘You can’t say anything nasty about Michael,’ applied forever to everything that HBO would ever do — which is patently ridiculous,” Reed said. “Somehow the estate managed to persuade HBO to come to an amicable settlement. And that involved, after six years on the platform, taking Leaving Neverland down.”
Reed is hoping to find a new platform for Leaving Neverland in 2029.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
