*Netflix is rejecting claims that fear of Michael Jackson’s estate almost stopped the release of its documentary series about the singer’s 2005 criminal trial.
Variety reported that executives allegedly reconsidered “Michael Jackson: The Verdict” a week before its June 3 debut. Sources said concerns about a possible legal challenge prompted unease within the company.
“It was the fear of a lawsuit from the estate rather than the fans,” one source told the publication. “[Netflix] was really scared of their financial muscle.”
Another person familiar with the situation said withdrawing the project after promoting it would have created a separate public relations problem.
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“It would have been very embarrassing to pull the series after you drop the trailer — it would have been a huge story,” the source said.
Netflix denied that the production was ever redirected because of external objections.
“Characterizations that Netflix reconsidered the release or changed course because of outside pressure are inaccurate,” a spokesperson told Variety. “The series launched as planned and reached the Netflix Top 10 for three weeks.”
The program examines the court case that ended with Jackson being found not guilty of multiple child molestation charges. Although the verdict came more than two decades ago, arguments over the allegations and the trial have persisted.
The production draws from people connected to the proceedings, including jurors, witnesses, reporters, accusers and members of Jackson’s defense camp. Their accounts offer competing views of a case the public could not watch directly because cameras were prohibited inside the courtroom.
Filmmakers Nick Green and Fiona Stourton said contemporary audiences largely received the trial through scattered news coverage and commentary.
“It was time to take a forensic look at the trial as a whole,” they told Netflix’s Tudum.
They said the series was designed to provide viewers with greater access to an event that remained mostly hidden from those outside the courtroom.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Michael Jackson Biopic Hits $1 Billion at Global Box Office
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