A sequel to the bombshell 2019 documentary “Leaving Neverland” that featured the tales of two sexual abuse accusers of Michael Jackson will premiere on YouTube within the U.S. subsequent month, not on HBO the place the unique movie made waves after its Sundance premiere.
The documentary, titled “Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson,” once more follows accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck and is once more directed by Dan Reed. This movie, nonetheless, seems to be at Robson and Safechuck after they went public with their accusations in opposition to Jackson, together with the “ongoing authorized battle, the ensuing private toll, and the backlash they confronted from Jackson’s world fanbase,” in accordance with an official synopsis. The movie additionally contains entry to courtroom hearings and different particulars about how Jackson’s staff labored to forestall Safechuck’s authorized case from reaching trial.
The movie is an hour-long particular that can first air on Channel 4 within the UK on March 18, as was introduced final week. On Wednesday, February 26, it was introduced that Little Dot Studios, a division of All3Media, acquired the U.S. rights to the movie and can launch it stateside shortly after it premieres within the UK, as Deadline first reported.
The movie will play on Little Dot’s premium YouTube channel, Actual Tales, a channel that has 6.4 million YouTube subscribers. A press launch says the choice to launch it on YouTube is to make sure “the movie reaches a large and numerous viewers by leveraging its rising dominance as a platform for long-form viewing.”
However as to why the sequel isn’t additionally on HBO, the community grew to become embroiled in a authorized battle with the Michael Jackson property after “Leaving Neverland” got here out in 2019, which the property gained on enchantment in late 2020, sending the matter to arbitration.
After the discharge of “Leaving Neverland,” MJ’s property hit HBO with a lawsuit saying it had violated a “non-disparagement clause” in a contract relationship all the way in which again to 1992. HBO on the time made a deal to amass and televise Jackson’s live performance across the launch of his album “Harmful.” As THR reported on the time, the 1992 deal included a provision that HBO wouldn’t say something unhealthy about Jackson and would wish to seek the advice of along with his staff if it needed to air further programming.
“In these non-disparagement provisions, HBO promised that ‘HBO shall not make any disparaging remarks regarding Performer or any of his representatives, brokers, or enterprise practices or do any act that will hurt or disparage or trigger to decrease in esteem the fame or public picture of Performer,’” the grievance from the Jackson property learn. “Different provisions within the Settlement require HBO to inform and seek the advice of with Jackson and Optimum Productions if it needs to air further programming about Jackson.”
HBO declined to remark to IndieWire about whether or not that lawsuit particularly prevented it from releasing the brand new movie about Jackson, besides to say that the community isn’t concerned with the movie.
Reed was within the information final yr when he accused the upcoming biopic “Michael” in regards to the King of Pop’s life to be a “full whitewash” of abuse allegations. However in accordance with a latest report, the movie needed to considerably change and endure large reshoots due to a snafu through which the Jackson property had beforehand agreed with the household of a separate baby molestation accuser to by no means depict him in a film. The movie needed to be delayed for a launch this fall.