I like Fuqua but i’m not sure he’s the one for this.
Spike ain’t nowhere NEAR fell off. Da 5 Bloods was excellent. He also did two wonderful documentaries for Off The Wall and Bad and had a previously established relationship with Michael and the Jackson family.
The issue with Spike is he wouldn’t make a “clean” biopic. He’d be putting the dirt on full FRONT STREET with how the white media helped to assassinate Jackson’s character and how Tommy Mottola attempted to screw MJ over by not honoring the contract to give MJ his Masters back.
Its the reason he didn’t end up directing the Ali film that Will Smith starred in. He wanted to focus more on Ali’s politics and just how racist the decision to strip him of his title was. Something the movie made nods towards but didn’t fully delve into.
F. Gary Gray would be an inspired choice. He started out making music videos so you KNOW the musical sequences and recreations of MJ’s classic videos would be on point. Plus I liked how he did Straight Outta Compton because even if it was a “clean” biopic it still felt authentic enough to have credibility.
At the end of the day this film is going to come down to the script and the star. The producing team behind Bohemian Rhapsody is also working on this film and the guy who wrote The Aviator is writing the script. Personally I think its a problem having a white writer weaving the history of the greatest BLACK performer who ever walked the earth and the uniquely AFRICAN AMERICAN challenges that Michael and his entire family faced getting out of Gary, Indiana. But I guess we’ll see.
More than likely they’ll get an unknown for the role or somebody whose been bubbling under the radar with a few credits here and there.
I also am wary of the traditional “Biopic” formula they seem to be going with. Its what sunk the Whitney movie. These people’s lives are simply TOO bombastic for a two and a half hour film. Michael Jackson’s career could literally be a trilogy of movies with everything that needs to be touched upon.
1). Humble beginnings in Gary, Indiana. The struggles Joe and Kate faced raising a family of NINE KIDS in the ghetto. Formation of the Jackson 5. The YEARS they spent grinding on the chitlin circuit BEFORE they even got to the Apollo. The first initial record deal with Steeltown records. Meeting up with Bobby Day & The Vancouvers. The audition for Suzanne De Passe. Signing to Motown. Cutting the first three singles. Joe becoming the legal guardian of Johnny Jackson (Drummer) and Ronnie Rancifer (Keyboard) moving them out to Encino and ultimately firing and abandoning them. The Jacksons becoming a worldwide phenomena
2). Joe and Barry Gordy’s fraught relationship and battle for control over the group. Joe showing favoritism towards Jermaine’s relationship with Hazel Gordy while shytting on the other brother’s wives and girlfriends (which had an impact on the way Michael viewed relationships and media scrutiny) the brothers running through hoes (which had an impact on the way Michael viewed sex and intimacy) Michael having to deal with both a solo career and the lead member of the group. Michael desperately wanting to write and produce his own music, which led to the Jacksons departing for CBS.
3). Michael striking out on his own after filming The Wiz and meeting Quincy Jones. The Off The Wall era. Thriller being born from the White Media ignoring the massive success of Off The Wall and Rolling Stone refusing to put him on the cover. The massive success. 8 Grammy wins. Fake relationship with Brook Shields. The Pepsi burning incident. Michael and Frank Dileo’s relationship and how Frank tried his damndest to alienate MJ from his brothers. Motown 25. The Victory tour. Michael’s addiction to both plastic surgery and pain pills stemming from that burning incident. Michael increasingly isolating himself from everybody but children. The Bad era. The Dangerous era. Molestation charges. Michael actually overdosing on pills once and entering rehab. HIStory era and comeback. Two failed marriages. His own children. Fraught relationship with Sony. Mottola sabotaging the marketing for Invincible because MJ wouldn’t reup with the label after discovering they’d screwed him out ownership of his Masters. The “blanket dangling” incident and how it was blown WAY out of proportion. The disastrous interview with Martin Skreli. Failed comeback attempts. This Is It Tour announcement. Death and impact.
And thats just the stuff we KNOW! You can’t TELL ME all of that will convincingly fit into a standard biopic narrative.
Michael’s biopic. Should be an A-list limited HBO series. 6 episodes running and hour and a half. Its the only way in my opinion
