Netflix is dropping a docuseries about the explosive 2005 trial that was left out of Michael Jackson’s new hit biopic.
After Michael passed the $700 million mark in global ticket sales — and made box office history with its $97 million opening weekend in the United States — the streamer announced Michael Jackson: The Verdict will come out June 3, centering on the controversial legal saga surrounding the King of Pop after he was charged and later acquitted of multiple counts of child molestation.
“It has been 20 years since the trial of Michael Jackson in which he was found not guilty,” the docuseries filmmakers said in a Netflix press release. “Yet, to this day, controversy still rages. No cameras were allowed in court, and so the public’s view of the facts at the time were filtered by commentators and presented piecemeal. It was time to take a forensic look at the trial as a whole.”
Directed by Nick Green and executive produced by Fiona Stourton, the three-part series will show the perspective of both the prosecution and the defense in the case with archival footage and interviews with key players from the 14-week trial, including jurors, eyewitnesses and accusers.
Green and Stourton said: “Anyone interested in the Michael Jackson story should feel this documentary gives them a window into what was largely a closed event and a chance to feel closer to what happened.”
Footage shown in the series’ official trailer shows snippets of interviews from accusers and defenders, with one interviewee saying: “We believed he was a criminal, and he was able to get away with it because of his fame and celebrity.” The trailer shows police searching Jackson’s home at Neverland Ranch, as well as him being taken into custody.
During the court case, the prosecution called several boys who accused Jackson of molesting them to take the stand. For the defense, stars including Macaulay Culkin, Jay Leno and George Lopez testified to Jackson’s character. The jury deliberated for more than 30 hours across seven days.
The “Thriller” singer faced more than 20 years in prison before he was found not guilty of all 10 felony charges against him, including four counts of child molestation, four counts of giving alcohol to a minor in order to molest him, one count of attempted child molestation and one count of conspiring to kidnap a child and hold him hostage at Neverland Ranch.
Jackson denied all allegations against him up until his death in 2009.
Michael Jackson: The Verdict’s forthcoming release comes after Michael ended Jackson’s story in 1988, years before any allegations of child abuse emerged. The omission of the allegations sparked backlash against the blockbuster, especially considering that the project was approved and financed by the late singer’s estate.
Director Antoine Fuqua later confirmed that an earlier version of the film addressed the 1993 abuse allegations and subsequent investigation, but lawyers for Jackson’s estate identified a prior settlement that Jackson had with an accuser that prohibited the allegations from being mentioned in a movie. This led to 22 days of reshoots and cost between $10 to $15 million, according to Variety.
However, the film made its $155 million budget back easily, spending several weeks in the top spot at domestic box office charts, and grossing $283 million domestically so far, with global earnings surpassing $703. 8 million. The controversial movie — which stars Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson — is on track to become the highest-grossing musical biopic in the world if it beats out 2018 Queen movie Bohemian Rhapsody.
Michael is out now in theaters and Michael Jackson: The Verdict will be available on Netflix June 3.
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)
