Leaving Neverland streaming – Michael Jackson movie taken down however is coming again | Films | Entertainment | EUROtoday

Back in 2019, a decade after Michael Jackson’s sudden dying at 50, HBO launched the controversial two-part documentary Leaving Neverland.

The movie follows the testimonies of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, two males who allege that the King of Pop (who confronted a number of unbiased accusations of kid sexual abuse in his lifetime that he at all times denied) sexually abused them many occasions from the ages of seven and 10.

Airing on Channel 4 within the UK on the time, the film received an Emmy however obtained a polarising response, together with an ironic resurgence in Jackson’s music gross sales.

Now as Michael (the official half 1 biopic that concludes in 1988 earlier than the primary allegations in 1993) hits cinemas, Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed has spoken out on why you can’t watch his movie right now and when it will likely be accessible once more.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Reed was requested about HBO taking down Leaving Neverland from its streaming platform. It seems that in February 2019, Jackson’s property efficiently sued HBO for breaking a non-disparagement clause in a contract for a 1992 Budapest live performance recording.

Reed shared: “The estate argued that the non-disparagement clause, which says, ‘You can’t say anything nasty about Michael,’ applied forever to everything that HBO would ever do — which is patently ridiculous. Somehow the estate managed to persuade HBO to come to an amicable settlement. And that involved, after six years on the platform, taking Leaving Neverland down.”

As for when Leaving Neverland may be watched once more, Reed continued: “HBO has a license only until 2029. So after that, I can resell it and make it available again. The sequel went out on YouTube in the US, which is pretty unsatisfying.”

Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson, which remains to be on the Channel 4 app, was launched final yr and follows Robson and Safechuck bringing their allegations to trial. The trial towards Jackson’s firms is scheduled to happen later this yr, presumably in November.

Reed added: “I keep in touch with them. I’m hoping to make another film about the trial that’s coming up.” Looks like Leaving Neverland 3 is on the best way and presumably will embrace not simply Robson and Safechuck’s trial, however the filmed reactions to the field workplace success of Michael, which is about to have not less than one sequel. Reed has beforehand mentioned: “I hope [it] will be a very dramatic ending [to my film trilogy].”