Jaafar Jackson, the nephew of Michael Jackson who played the singer in this year's biopic, has responded to criticism that the film "sanitised" his uncle's life, saying a follow-up film will address the sexual abuse allegations that have long clouded the singer's legacy.
The film, titled Michael, was released in April and was criticised by reviewers who felt it glossed over the child sexual abuse allegations Jackson faced during his lifetime. Jaafar, who is the son of Michael's brother Jermaine, spent three years preparing for the role before appearing in the film, which traced the King of Pop's life from his time in the Jackson 5 in the 1960s through his early solo career.
Speaking as the cover star of GQ Middle East's September issue, Jaafar said a second film would go further into the allegations, telling the magazine: "I think the second film will give even more insight from his point of view, because at the end of the day, [the allegations] are always from someone else's." He added that the screenplay is currently in development and that he has no say over its scope or story.
Life on stage as Michael
Reflecting on how playing his uncle shaped his own ambitions as a performer, Jaafar said: "I experienced the best I could experience as an artist on a stage as Michael. Me doing it as Jaafar would feel weird."
He also recalled the moment he first grasped the scale of his family's fame, watching the Jackson 5 reunite for their 30th anniversary in front of thousands of fans at Madison Square Garden. "I still can remember how loud it was in there and the fans going crazy for my uncles on the stage," he said. "That was probably the first moment that it hit me, Oh, they're important."
The abuse allegations
Michael Jackson's career and legacy became overshadowed by allegations of paedophilia beginning in 1993, when he was accused of sexually abusing 13 year old Jordan Chandler in a lawsuit filed by the boy's father. A criminal investigation found no physical evidence of abuse, but Jackson settled the civil suit with the family in January 1994 for $23 million.
He later faced further allegations and a high-profile criminal trial in 2005 on child molestation charges involving 13 year old Gavin Arvizo, of which he was acquitted on all counts. Jackson died in 2009 at the age of 50 of cardiac arrest after being administered Propofol as a sleep aid.
Renewed scrutiny in recent years
Jackson's legacy came under renewed scrutiny after Wade Robson and James Safechuck reignited claims of childhood sexual abuse in the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland. A follow-up, Leaving Neverland 2, was released last year and covered the pair's ongoing legal battle as they continued to press their claims against the late singer.
Director Spike Lee's defence
Director Spike Lee, who produced the biopic, has previously defended the decision to leave the abuse accusations out of the film, saying he had already watched it twice and "loves" it. He noted that the film only covers Jackson's life up to 1988, before the first allegation was made public.
"First of all, if you're a movie critic, and you're complaining about all this other stuff, but the movie ends in '88," the Oscar winner told CNN. "And the stuff you're talking about, accusations, happened [later]. So you're critiquing the film on something that you want in, but it doesn't work in the timeline of the film."
Lee also pointed to the film's box office performance as further justification for the omission, adding: "But people showed up. Worldwide, people showed their love."
