Spike Lee Stands by ‘Michael,’ Explaining Why Child Abuse Claims Were Left Out: “People Showed Up”
As the biopic *Michael* enjoys a successful second weekend at the box office, acclaimed director Spike Lee has publicly endorsed the film amid ongoing controversy. His statements come in response to criticism over the film’s omission of the 1993 child sexual abuse allegations against Michael Jackson.
Lee, a three-time Academy Award winner, defended the direction taken by director Antoine Fuqua. He explained that the film, which chronicles Jackson’s rise to fame from the Jackson 5 to his peak as the “King of Pop” in 1988, could not include those later allegations as they fall outside the film’s timeline. “If you’re a movie critic, and you’re complaining about the stuff… the movie ends at ’88. The stuff you’re talking about, accusations, happen [later],” Lee told CNN. “So you’re critiquing the film on something that you want in, but it doesn’t work in the timeline of the film. But people showed up. Worldwide, people showed their love.”
Reflecting on his own memories, Lee said, “I miss Mike. I miss Prince. I mean, these are my brothers. I worked with both of them. Both beautiful, beautiful people.”
L-R: Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson and director Antoine Fuqua on the set of ‘Michael’
Glen Wilson/Lionsgate
Fuqua emphasized the importance of depicting Jackson’s artistry. “It was important to take the audience through a process of how do you get to wherever it’s going to go in a second movie; for people to get a bigger idea of his personality and what shaped him,” he noted. He further remarked, “Unless you can truly take your time, let’s go back to the beginning and really show people who he was on the stage. He’s a superhero on the stage. Just like a human being, movies have the power of empathy to just say this is a human being. No one is perfect.”
The original cut of *Michael* exceeded three and a half hours and included a subplot involving an accuser whose settlement with Jackson’s estate prohibited dramatization in the film. This detail was overlooked when the Michael Jackson estate approved the project.
In 2003, Jackson faced seven counts of child molestation and two counts of intoxicating a minor. He denied all allegations and was acquitted on all counts in 2005. Following his death in 2009, additional accusers have come forward.
