The Michael Jackson biopic has officially been released in theatres worldwide; however, the film has been at the centre of major controversy for weeks now. From Janet Jackson not being part of the biopic to Paris Jackson sharing her criticism of the film, there has been a lot of debate surrounding the film and its backstory. During the film’s premiere a few days ago in LA, La Toya Jackson addressed some of the rumors, including a possible family feud, among other things.Here is all that we know about the matter so far.
La Toya Jackson addresses rumors of a feud with Janet Jackson
At the forefront of the controversy, there have been rumors of an internal family feud amid Janet Jackson’s absence from the biopic. While talking to Entertainment Tonight at the LA premiere for the film, La Toya opened up about the matter, and further clarified that there are no issues within the family. She cited, “There was absolutely no problem whatsoever, please believe it.”Furthermore, while talking to Variety on the same day, she clarified that Janet was offered to be a part of the film, however, the singer herself outright refused. She added, “I wish everybody was in the movie. She was asked and she kindly declined so you have to respect her wishes.”
Paris Jackson criticizes the Michael Jackson biopic
Paris, the only daughter of the famed pop star, recently took to her social media platform to outright call out the Michael Jackson biopic. The model and actress wrote in her post that “Antoine Fuqua doesn’t seem to care about my father’s legacy. He’s simply used our family name to profit from the project, which is why I chose not to be involved. I also feel my family has been taken advantage of, and I hope they come to realize it before it’s too late.”Other than that, last year in September, she had again criticized the director for profiting off of her family story. She stated in a video posted on her stories at the time that she had “read one of the first drafts of the script and gave my notes about what was dishonest / didn’t sit right with me and when they didn’t address it i moved on with my life. not my monkeys not my circus. god bless and god speed.” In another video posted at the time she added, “The film panders to a very specific section of my dad’s fandom that still lives in the fantasy. And they’re going to be happy with it.” Paris Jackson is currently involved in a legal battle with the co-executives of her father’s estate, John Branca and John McClain, who are listed as co-producers of the biopic film.
Overall criticism about the Michael Jackson film
From the get-go, even before its official release, the film amasses a lot of critical comments from reviewers and fans who were able to catch a glimpse of it early on at the premieres. Many people called out that a lot of important things were not included in the film, and that the ending was not satisfactory. Some of the scenes that were entirely cut from the film included any mention of the sexual abuse allegations or any of the other controversies that the pop singer was involved in.Along with this, Kat Graham, who is best known for ‘The Vampire Diaries’, was also cast in the biopic as Diane Ross. However, she later confirmed that her scenes were cut from the final product because of legal issues. Taking to her social media, she clarified, “Ahead of the April 24 release of the Michael Jackson film, I want to share that certain legal considerations affected a few scenes, including the ones I filmed with an incredible cast. Unfortunately, those moments are no longer part of the final cut, though the team worked hard to preserve as much of the story as possible.”The film has finally been released in theatres worldwide, and is awaiting ox office news.
