Spike Lee defends new Michael Jackson biopic, titled michaelAgainst criticism for dropping child sexual abuse allegations against the late singer.
Titled Michael, the film stars the hitmaker’s real-life nephew Jafar Jackson as the King of Pop, and traces his life from his time with the Jackson 5 in the sixties to his early solo career.
And despite breaking box office records, the film has drawn sharp reaction to the producers’ decision to drop it amid allegations of abuse, which began in 1993 and has been plagued. michael Later in his career and even after his death in 2009.
However, director Spike has defended the film, saying he has already seen it twice and insists that the abuse allegations are not included because it only documents Michael’s life until 1988, which was before the first allegations were made.
“First of all, if you’re a film critic, and you’re complaining about everything else, but the movie ends in ’88,” the Oscar winner explained. cnn. “And everything you’re talking about, the allegations, happened (later).”
“So, you’re criticizing the movie all you want, but it doesn’t work in the timeline of the movie,” he criticized.
However he suggested that the fact that the film did so well at the box office further justified the omission, “but people showed up. All over the world, people showed their love.”
Spike was a longtime friend and collaborator of Michael’s, who directed the 1996 music video for they don’t care about us and two documentaries about the late star, bad 25 (2012) and Michael Jackson’s journey from Motown to Off the Wall (2016).
Reflecting on his relationship with the Billie Jean star and fellow late singer Prince, he said, “I miss Mike. I miss Prince. I mean, these are my brothers. I worked with both of them. Both beautiful, beautiful people.”
