Overview
- In a CNN interview, Spike Lee said he loved Antoine Fuqua’s Michael and argued critics are faulting it for material outside its chosen timeframe.
- He pointed out that the story ends in 1988, five years before the first public allegation in 1993, which is why the accusations do not appear.
- Variety and others reported the team had filmed 1993-related scenes but removed them after the Jackson estate identified a settlement clause barring depiction of accuser Jordan Chandler.
- The discovery led to a reworked ending and about 22 days of reshoots that refocused the final stretch on Jackson’s family dynamics and early career.
- Despite poor reviews, box office has topped $400 million worldwide, and cast and filmmakers have floated a possible sequel to cover later chapters.