Michael Jackson’s nephew has criticised media coverage of the forthcoming biopic on the musician, saying they don’t “get to control the narrative anymore”.
Taj Jackson, who is the son of the late pop star’s brother Tito Jackson, wrote in a post on X: “Sorry media, u don’t get to control the narrative anymore of who Michael Jackson truly was. The public gets to watch this movie, they will decide for themselves. And you can’t handle that.”
In a follow-up post, he added: “Can’t wait till some critics have to eat crow. And yes I will be that petty.”
His statement comes days before the release of the Antoine Fuqua-directed biopic Michael, starring Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson in his feature debut as the singer, alongside Colman Domingo as his father Joe Jackson and Nia Long as his mother Katherine.
Michael opened to largely negative reviews ahead of its release and holds a 36 per cent critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of publishing. The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey gave the film a one star, describing it as a “ghoulish, soulless cash grab”.
The Guardian said the biopic was “frustratingly shallow” and Rolling Stone wrote that it was “depressing” and “isn’t really a biopic”.
Michael, which was approved and financed by the late pop singer’s estate, follows Jackson from his early years in the Jackson 5 to the peak of his global fame in 1988, when he was touring the album Bad. The choice to conclude the story at that stage has prompted backlash, as the film does not engage with the child sexual abuse allegations made against him before his death in 2009 and instead leaves them out altogether.
Jackson denied all the claims made against him in his lifetime.
According to previous reports, an earlier version of the film addressed the 1993 abuse allegations and subsequent investigation, but lawyers for Jackson’s estate identified a prior settlement with an accuser that “precluded any depiction or mention of them in a film”.
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This led to 22 days of reshoots, which the Jackson estate reportedly directly funded, and cost between $10m-$15m, according to Variety.
TJ Jackson, the younger brother of Taj Jackson, also wrote on X that he planned to attend a screening despite having seen the film several times. “Why? Because I’m proud. I wouldn’t miss this opportunity to be masked in the electrifying energy that will be in that theatre for nothing,” he wrote.
“My uncle deserves this, my cousin earned this and his loyal supporters are owed this. The world will be reminded or learn who MJ truly was and I can’t wait!”
In a New Yorker interview published earlier this week, Fuqua confirmed that he had initially planned to include Jackson’s 2003 arrest and said: “I shot [Michael] being stripped naked, treated like an animal, a monster.”
He added that he was “not convinced” of the allegations against the “Billie Jean” singer and said: “When I hear things about us – Black people in particular, especially in a certain position – there’s always pause.”
Michael will be released in theatres on 24 April.