Michael Jackson Biopic In The Works

To be perfectly honest, I am amazed that this news hasn't broken before, given that the former King of Pop's fame ascended well into infamy long before his death, but it has taken until today for Variety's Showblitz to announce that Michael Jackson's estate are looking to sell a biopic of his life. I suppose it would have been slightly unsavoury for an announcement to come before the conclusion of Dr Conrad Murray's trial added a somewhat unwelcome prologue to Jackson's life, and now that that is all done and dusted, it seems the time has come for the inevitable to happen. The executor of the Jackson estate - John Branca - has apparently approached Ivan Reitman and Tom Pollock€™s Montecito Picture Company about the possible production and financing of a biopic of the most famous of the Jackson Five. At this stage it seems that the estate are keen only to see a project that would cover limited periods of his life, which is understandable given the controversy that met a good deal of it, and how certain events might reflect on the surviving members of the Jackson family - so it remains to be seen whether anyone will accept the chance to greenlight the biopic. While Pollack has confirmed that the two sides are in talks - no deal just yet - I would personally see the biopic as little more than a fluff piece, if the estate are heavily involved. And the story of Jackson's life that they want to tell, isn't likely to be the one which would make the best film. And though fans would inevitably shell out to see it, the likely lack of real substance or intrigue behind Jackson's rise to mega-stardom would not spell the same kind of success as former big-hitting bios like the Ray Charles and Johnny Cash titles. The internet will now go wild with predictions of who will likely play MJ. My guess (and the smart money) would suggest an unknown.