Spike Lee is defending Lionsgate’s MichaelJackson biopic after some criticized the film for excluding the music icon’s child sexual abuse allegations.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker recently sat down with CNN, where he shared how much he “loved” Michael, noting that he saw the pic “twice.” During the interview, he also pointed out that allegations wouldn’t “work in the timeline of the film,” because the biopic covers the first half of Jackson’s life, with the movie concluding in 1988, and the pop legend didn’t face his first accusation until 1993.
“First of all, if you’re a movie critic, and you’re complaining about the stuff — all this other stuff — but the movie ends at ‘88,” Lee explained. “The stuff you’re talking about, accusations, happen [later]. So you’re critiquing the film on something that you want in, but it doesn’t work in the timeline of the film. But people showed up. Worldwide, people showed their love.”
The Highest 2 Lowest director went on to share his appreciation for the “Thriller” singer, who died in 2009, as well as Prince, who died in 2016.
“I miss Mike. I miss Prince. I mean, these are my brothers,” Lee said. “I worked with both of them. Both beautiful, beautiful people.”
As friends and collaborators, Lee helmed the singer’s music video for his song “They Don’t Care About Us.” The filmmaker also directed two documentaries about Jackson’s life, including 2012’s Bad 25 and 2016’s Michael Jackson’s Journey From Motown to Off the Wall.
Despite Michael being panned by critics, the film was a massive box office success with moviegoers. It’s currently grossed more than $400 million worldwide, becoming one of the top musical biopics ever.
The Hollywood Reporter previously reported that the biopic underwent a significant overhaul due to an oversight by the Michael Jackson estate, which is backing Michael. Jackson’s abuse allegations initially made up much of the third act, but a past accuser had reached a settlement with the estate guaranteeing he would never be depicted in any future commercial projects. This resulted in 22 days of additional shooting and the ending being reworked, pushing the film’s release date from April 2025 to April 2026. Filmmakers are also considering a sequel to tell more of Jackson’s story.