Given the chaos around his most recent film, the Will Smith slavery drama Emancipation (with Smith slapping Chris Rock on the Oscars stage last year), you might have imagined that director Antoine Fuqua would opt for something without the chance of controversy for a future film. But no, he's boarded a Michael Jackson biopic, currently simply titled Michael.
Writer John Logan and producer Graham King have been trying to get this one together for years now, aiming to chart Jackson's rise to fame, his troubled family life, his musical superstardom, but not ignoring his chaotic personal life, plastic surgery and the pedophile accusations that dogged his later years up to his death in 2009 at age 50, from cardiac arrest caused by a cocktail of sedatives.
"The first films of my career were music videos, and I still feel that combining film and music are a deep part of who I am," says Fuqua in a statement. "For me, there is no artist with the power, the charisma, and the sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson. I was influenced to make music videos by watching his work — the first Black artist to play in heavy rotation on MTV. His music and those images are part of my worldview, and the chance to tell his story on the screen alongside his music was irresistible."
"Antoine’s films provide personal perspectives of larger-than-life characters that continuously captivate global audiences," adds King. "I’m confident that Antoine will make an exceptional and compelling film that will both celebrate and give profound new insights into the life of the King of Pop." Yeah, we've a feeling that juggling chainsaws could be less of a risky future career choice. The search for a leading man is likely already underway even as Fuqua finishes up The Equalizer 3 (due out 1 September) and prepares to shoot the new film later this year.
