‘Michael’ Director Has Some ‘Pause’ Over Jackson Abuse Allegations: ‘People Do Some Nasty Things for Money’

Antoine Fuqua, the director for the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, titled “Michael,” spoke out about the sexual abuse allegations against the late King of Pop and how he originally planned to tackle them in the film.

In a new interview with the New Yorker, published on Monday, Fuqua confirmed that he initially planned to touch on Jackson’s 2003 arrest, sharing, “I shot [Michael] being stripped naked, treated like an animal, a monster.”

Per the outlet, Fuqua had initially “envisioned a film that might have read as a provocative defense of its subject,” before an agreement in Michael Jackson’s settlement with the Chandler family — who accused the singer of sexually abusing their 13-year-old son, something Jackson denied — derailed this plan. Namely, the $23 million settlement forbade the Jackson estate from participating in depictions of events tied the allegation — which meant it couldn’t be included in the film.

While Fuqua was forced to pivot and ultimately reshoot parts of the movie, the outlet noted that the director found a new way to defend the deceased singer: By reminding audiences of Jackson’s tumultuous journey from child star to global icon.

And though Fuqua was unable to address the allegations in “Michael,” he did question them in his interview with the New Yorker. According to the outlet, the director was “not convinced that Jackson did what he is accused of doing.”

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