'Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland' Air Date, Spoilers: Unauthorized Lifetime Original Movie to Feature King of Pop as Doting Dad
A Lifetime original movie about Michael Jackson is airing on Memorial Day. But since the late King of Pop's Estate has refused to sanction the said biopic, will its upcoming release give rise to legal controversies?
"Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland," is an upcoming Lifetime original movie based on the best-selling book, "Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days." The said book was written by Jackson's former personal bodyguards, Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard, and it chronicled the final two years of the King of Pop's life as seen through Whitfield and Beard's eyes. The book was released back in 2014 and depicted Jackson as a man who just wanted to be "a normal American dad."
Actors Chad L. Coleman and Sam Adegoke will be playing the roles of Whitfield and Beard, respectively. The two worked for Jackson and his family following the artist's sexual molestation trial in 2005 until his untimely death in 2009.
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A trailer for the upcoming biopic shows Whitfield and Beard being questioned by investigators about Dr. Murray (Ken Colquitt), who was reported to have administered the deadly dose of Propofol that ultimately took Jackson's life.
But the crux of the movie is really all about the devotion Jackson has for his three kids — Prince (Aiden Smith), Paris (Taegen Burns), and Blanket (Michael Mourra) — and his struggles against the daily pressures of balancing parenthood and fame.
Jackson's role will be played by Navi, the self-proclaimed World's Greatest Michael Jackson Impersonator, who claims to have also worked for the real King of Pop on and off for about 17 years.
However, TMZ reported that a source close to the Michael Jackson Estate said that since this movie is an unauthorized depiction of the King of Pop's life, it will not be allowed to use any of Jackson's materials, especially his songs.
Can a movie about Michael Jackson's life possibly survive without the King of Pop's own music? Is the upcoming Lifetime movie about to face legal action from the Estate upon the said movie's release?
"Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland" airs on Monday, May 29, at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
