Michael Jackson biopic: ‘Movie glorifies man who raped children’

The director of the documentary “Leaving Neverland”, in which Michael Jackson’s alleged child abuse victims have their say, criticizes the upcoming Jackson biopic in sharp words. In an opinion piece for The Guardian, Dan Reed writes that the film will “glorify a man who raped children.”

The reason for this new comment is the work on the biopic about Jackson. Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”) has been hired to direct and Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, will star. Production is slated to begin later this year and will be realized in collaboration with Jackson’s estate. How exactly the upcoming film will show the abuse issue will remain unclear until the film is released.

Dan Reed: “Michael Jackson’s seduction and living force from beyond”

Reed writes of the production, “The utter absence of outrage at the announcement of this film tells us that Jackson’s seduction is still a living, otherworldly force. It seems the press, his fans, and the large older demographic that grew up loving Jackson are willing to put aside his unhealthy relationship with children and just go with the music.”

Question to fans: “How do you explain the countless nights alone with little boys in bed?”

He addresses these people in the comment on the Guardian website these words: “I say this to you: Even if you do not believe a word of what his many accusers have said; even if you’re not affected by the police investigation and the massive payments to settle the case, how do you account for the completely undisputed fact that Jackson spent countless years alone in bed with little boys? What did he do to them, alone in his bedroom at Neverland, with alarm bells in the hallway? That cannot be acceptable in any way.”

“If a pedophile is rich and popular enough, society will forgive them”

He concludes by asking the filmmakers: “How do you intend to portray the moment Jackson, a grown man in his thirties, takes a child by the hand and leads them into this bedroom? How do you want to portray what happens next? By dodging the question of Jackson’s penchant for sleeping with young boys, you are sending a message to millions of child sexual abuse survivors. That message is that if a pedophile is rich and popular enough, society will forgive them.”

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