TMZ.com
UPDATE
8:40 AM PT — A source connected to the film tells TMZ … the film is not imperiled, and there will be re-shoots in March. The source declined to comment on whether the re-shoots have to do with eliminating the scenes involving Jordan Chandler.
One of Michael Jackson‘s accusers is the reason the highly-anticipated biopic will be delayed 6 months — specifically, it’s the film’s reference to Jordan Chandler that has the production in total chaos.
Director Antoine Fuqua had already completed filming of “Michael,” when it was announced late last year the scheduled April release date was being pushed to November 2025 — and that’s because they have to rewrite a chunk of the script related to Chandler … according to Puck.
Basically, someone forgot some key details in Jackson’s $23 million settlement with Jordy’s family back in 1993. The whole storyline of “Michael” reportedly begins and ends with the then-13-year-old’s accusation Jackson molested him … and the movie aims to convince you Michael was completely innocent.
However, in real life, the Chandler settlement prohibits Jackson and/or his team from any dramatization of Jordy and his family — but that part of the deal wasn’t disclosed to the producers of “Michael” until last fall, when Fuqua and co. had already completed filming.
TMZ.com
Major oops!!! And, it reportedly means several key scenes have to be scrapped, the script overhauled and then they have to get the cast back for re-shoots.
What’s ironic is the “Michael” script reportedly features scenes of Michael and his lawyers discussing the eventual settlement with the Chandler family — Miles Teller plays Jackson’s longtime business attorney John Branca and Derek Luke plays Johnnie Cochran, who was hired to defend Michael in the Chandler case.
Even so, someone missed the fine print in that settlement. Pretty expensive mistake on a $150 million budget movie.
