"Leaving Neverland" Director Considers Sequel About Michael Jackson Trial

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Michael Jackson prepares to enter the Santa Barbara County Superior Court to hear the verdict read in his child molestation case June 13, 2005 in Santa Maria, California. After seven days of deliberation the jury has reached a not guilty verdict on all 10 counts in the trial against Michael Jackson. Jackson was charged in a 10-count indictment with molesting a boy, plying him with liquor and conspiring to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. He pleaded innocent.
Dan Reed is willing to make a sequel to the explosive HBO documentary if Gavin Arvizo and his family agree.

10 years after his death and the allegations of sexual abuse are still haunting Michael Jackson's legacy. Since January, one of the biggest stories has been the explosive Leaving Neverland documentary which focuses on the allegations of child molestation made by James Safechuck and Wade Robson. While Dan Reed, the director of the docuseries, doesn't intend of focusing his career on Michael Jackson's life, he did say that he would love to make a sequel to Leaving Neverland revolving around the singer's 2005 trial.

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In a recent interview with The Film Stage, Dan Reed explained that there's a version of the docuseries that ran for five hours and included interviews with many people connected to Michael Jackson's 2005 trial including the LAPD and Santa Barbara Sherriff's Department who conducted investigations as well as the main prosecutor and deputy DA. Those clips didn't make it onto the final cut of the docuseries but Reed said that he's interested in making a sequel to Leaving Neverland revolving around Michael Jackson's 2005 case.

"The film I would really like to make following this one is the trial of Michael Jackson," he said. "I could only do that if the victim and his family participate. It would be a much weaker film [if they didn’t.] I don’t want to follow Leaving Neverland with a weaker film. If Gavin Arvizo and his family would agree to participate, I would very much like to tell the story of that trial. I think it’s fascinating and astonishing that Michael was acquitted. The way that happened is an amazing story and one that should be told."


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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