Last night was the premiere of the Michael Jackson documentary, “Leaving Neverland” at Sundance Film Festival. And from what Rolling Stone reports, it sounds shocking enough to make everybody forget about all the hubbub over Taraji and Erykah’s disputed and clarified comments on “Surviving R. Kelly” earlier this week.
The documentary is 4 hours long (divided into 2 parts) and tells the stories of 2 men who claim that the King of Pop abused them as children… and includes explicit details of what they say happened on the road and at Neverland Ranch, including a “secret wedding” between Michael and one of the boys.
Their description of the audience’s reaction sounds a LOT like what many of us experienced after watching “Surviving R. Kelly”… dazed, PTSD, shell-shocked. There’s no word yet on when or where it will be shown to larger audiences.
Michael Jackson's estate released a statement after the premiere, saying in part that it was a "tabloid character assassination" and that they are sympathetic to victims of abuse, but this film "does those victims a disservice."
The timing of this premiere is interesting, as it comes hot on the heels of the news earlier this week that the Michael Jackson musical “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” will debut this fall in Chicago before moving to Broadway. Wonder how that’s gonna go now.