Leaving Neverland is a two-part series documentary, that follows the life of two men who allege they were assaulted by Michael Jackson.
The announcement was made by the Sundance Film Festival, where the series will make (this year) its world premiere.
Directed and produced by Dan Reed, the documentary Leaving Neverland portrays the lives of two men who claim to have been sexually abused by the star in the 1990s. The men are now in their 30s, having the abuse started when they were about 7 and 10 years old.
So far, none of the victims identities have been revealed.
The premiere is scheduled for 25th January, at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City, Utah. Leaving Neverland should total 233 minutes of screen time.
After facing trial, Michael Jackson was acquitted of all charges relating the abuses. Hence, the arisal of this documentary so many years down the line is at the very least unfortunate. According to Jackson’s estate:
“This is yet another lurid production in an outrageous and pathetic attempt to exploit and cash in on Michael Jackson. Wade Robson and James Safechuck have both testified under oath that Michael never did anything inappropriate toward them. Safechuck and Robson, the latter a self-proclaimed ‘master of deception,’ filed lawsuits against Michael’s Estate, asking for millions of dollars. Both lawsuits were dismissed. This so called ‘documentary’ is just another rehash of dated and discredited allegations. It’s baffling why any credible filmmaker would involve himself with this project.”
