Michael Jackson 'This Is It' movie in development?

By Ben Rogerson
published

Michael Jackson announced his ill-fated This Is It residency in March.
Michael Jackson announced his ill-fated This Is It residency in March. (Image credit: STR/epa/Corbis)

Michael Jackson's This Is It residency at London's O2 Arena was the pop comeback that never happened, but it now seems likely that fans will get to see a movie made up of rehearsal footage for the shows.

BBC News reports that court documents filed in Los Angeles show that Columbia Pictures has paid promoter AEG Live $60m for rights to the footage, which is thought to run to 100 hours.

These same papers suggest that any movie based on this will not exceed 150 minutes in length and have a PG rating, while also stating that any footage that shows Jackson in a bad light can't be used.

Profits would be shared between The King Of Pop's estate (90%) and AEG Live (10%).

A release date for the movie hasn't been confirmed - in fact, the movie itself hasn't yet been confirmed - but BBC News speculates that a clause requiring Columbia to show it to Jackson's representatives before 2 October makes a Christmas release seem likely.

(Via BBC News)

Ben Rogerson
Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.