The much-anticipated biopic of late superstarMichaelJackson, Michael, hit cinemas over the weekend, earning a whopping $97 million (£82,684,934) on its first day in the United States, and $217.4 million (£185,316,543) worldwide.
The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jackson's nephew, Jaafar Jackson, in the lead role, charts the singer's rise to global fame.
Yet the story stops short of one of the most scrutinised moments in his life, as the 1993 lawsuit against the singer is not included in the biopic.
But, why is it that the production chose not to include the controversial lawsuit Jackson faced in the last decades of his life?
The filmmakers say the reason is legal, not creative.
Speaking toThe New Yorker, Fuqua said the original film includes a part where the police raided the singer's California compound in 1993 as he was embroiled in a controversy following sex abuse allegations from 13-year-old Jordan Chandler.
Fuqua detailed that it was originally the opening scene in 'Michael', but was not made to the final cut, and instead the film ends in 1988, omitting the singer's dark history.
Reportssaid when Jackson and the Chandler family agreed on a settlement worth $25 million (£21,310,550), there was also an agreement that said the issue with Chandler and the lawsuit shall not be mentioned or dramatised in any movie.
The exclusion of the 1993 lawsuit was not a small edit. It caused major changes in the film's structure. Fuqua explained in an interview that the team had to rethink parts of the story after filming was already completed, describing the situation as 'a tough period', for them.
But the filmmakers agreed on one thing: the biopic is titled 'Michael', thus the film should focus on Michael.
Source: International Business Times UK
