Producer Graham King (Bohemian Rhapsody) has struck a deal with the Michael Jackson estate for the pop star’s life and music rights, with plans to make a feature film based on both.
Michael Jackson with 10 year old Jimmy Suchcraft on the tour plane on 11th of July 1988.(Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)
King’s Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody was released in 2018 to great success. It grossed over $900 million worldwide box and earned Rami Malek an Oscar for his portrayal of the Queen rocker.
For the new project, King has hired “Gladiator” and “The Aviator” screenwriter John Logan.
The future film currently has no studio or distributor attached.
The script will not provide a “sanitized” look at the life of Jackson, accused of child sexual abuse in the explosive documentary Leaving Neverland this year.
A spokesperson for King confirmed the project, but would not comment on whether Logan’s script would involve Jackson’s accusers choreographer Wade Robson and former child actor James Safechuck, both of whom had reported relationships with the late singer since childhood.
The Graham King biopic is not the only project to feature Jackson’s music and backstory, from child stardom in the Jackson 5 to global pop dominance as an adult solo artist. MJ the Musical, which is set for a 2020 Broadway debut, has just cast actor Ephraim Sykes in the lead role.
