*If you’re wondering about how the controversial “Leaving Neverland” documentary went over at its Sundance Film Festival premiere on Friday, it got a standing ovation.
However, the Michael Jackson estate is not thrilled at all. From their point of view, the production is nothing more than a “tabloid assassination.”
“Leaving Neverland isn’t a documentary, it is the kind of tabloid character assassination Michael Jackson endured in life, and now in death,” the Michael Jackson estate said in a seething statement hours after the film ran in Utah. They added, “The film takes uncorroborated allegations that supposedly happened 20 years ago and treats them as fact. These claims were the basis of lawsuits filed by these two admitted liars which were ultimately dismissed by a judge.”
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The estate is also not happy with Jackson sexual assault accuser Wade Robson, who allegedly participated in the documentary for no compensation, reports The Blast.
“Conveniently left out of Leaving Neverland was the fact that when Robson was denied a role in a Michael Jackson themed Cirque du Soleil production, his assault allegations suddenly emerged,” the estate said in a statement
As far as director Dan Reed is concerned, the estate is upset he did not interview disputers of the sexual assault allegations:
“By choosing not to include any of these independent voices who might challenge the narrative that he was determined to sell, the director neglected fact checking so he could craft a narrative so blatantly one-sided that viewers never get anything close to a balanced portrait.”
The Blast went on to report that so far there has been no legal action by Michael Jackson’s estate against “Leaving Neverland” or director Dan Reed, but that may change when the movie makes its official premiere in theaters this Spring.
