The documentary Finding Neverland premiered in two parts on HBO in 2019. Across four hours, former child performers Wade Robson and James Safechuck provided grueling descriptions of being allegedly groomed and sexually abused by Michael Jackson as children. The release sparked a number of questions, among them being the status of Jackson’s legacy. On March 18, director Dan Reed will return with the follow-up documentary Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson that interrogates a similar question, but for Robson and Safechuck as they weathered public response to their allegations.
“Filmed over five years with full access to Wade, James, their families and legal teams, Leaving Neverland II: Surviving Michael Jackson tells the story of a difficult journey and its many twists, turns and setbacks,” a synopsis of the hour-long documentary from distributor Sphere Abacus reads.
Surviving Michael Jackson will be released through the UK broadcaster Channel 4. The first installment of the documentary was co-produced through HBO, which has since stepped back after being found to have breached a non-disparagement clause by being involved in the release.
The new documentary arrives as the cast and crew of the upcoming biopic Michael, green lit by his estate, prepare to reshoot parts of the film to rectify the violation of a legal agreement between representatives for Jackson and Jordan Chandler, who accused him of molestation in 1993 and later received a $20 million settlement.
According to a recent report, filmmakers and producers on the film were told only notified of the violation after the Financial Times published a report in September 2024 uncovering payments the Jackson estate made to five other accusers to keep them quiet after Leaving Neverland was released. In February 2023, Reed penned an op-ed in the Guardian stating that the biopic “will glorify a man who raped children.”
Per Sphere Abacus, Surviving Michael Jackson will be the penultimate release in what they have referred to as the “Leaving Neverland trilogy.” The third and final film will follow the forthcoming trial for the combined case of Robson, 41, and Safechuck, 46, alleging that Jackson’s business entities, now controlled by his estate, should be held liable for their alleged abuse by the late singer. The trial is expected to begin in 2026.
From Rolling Stone US
