As Michael continues to dominate the box office, the behind-the-scenes process of bringing the biopic to life is drawing increased attention. There are now rumors and conflicting reports that director Antoine Fuqua exited the project before the extensive Michael reshoots.
Michael was originally intended to be an over-three-hour-long epic covering the life of the King of Pop. However, during post-production, the Jackson estate realized that in a settlement with one of his accusers, he had agreed not to use the story for commercial purposes. The entire third act of the film had to be reshot, reportedly requiring an additional 20 days of production at a cost of around $15-$50 million depending on the report.
Antoine Fuqua on the set of Michael – Lionsgate Movies, YouTube
According to The Hot Mic’s Jeff Sneider, Fuqua had already moved onto his next project.
Rumors Claim Fuqua Left Before Reshoots
On The Hot Mic, Sneider claimed that the Jackson family and their representatives made production difficult. They reportedly visited the set in an effort to ensure the film protected Jackson’s image. This reportedly led to Fuqua directing remotely from a van. The tension surrounding production may lend some weight to the idea that he would refuse continued involvement after the film had officially wrapped.
Sneider claims his sources told him that the producer of Michael, Graham King, took over as director for the reshoots. World of Reel notes that there were similar rumors that King had completed Bohemian Rhapsody when that production ran into trouble and director Bryan Singer was fired.
An image from Michael – YouTube, Universal Pictures
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While rumors allege that Antoine Fuqua was not involved in the Michael reshoots, Sneider suggests that the director was paid to “shut up and promote the movie.”
The Director Speaks Out
However, Deadline reports that Antoine Fuqua was forced to decline other jobs to oversee the Michael reshoots. The outlet asked him what it was like receiving the news that a large portion of the film was unusable. “All movies have different challenges, but this one was really unique,” Fuqua said. “I was handing in the director’s cut and I get this call. That was a tough day.”
Fuqua said that when approaching the required revisions “we had to rethink everything.” He added that he worked with King and screenwriter John Logan to find a solution. “We had a lot of meetings. But we clicked into it at the same time: The movie is called Michael so you have to focus on Michael.”
An image from Michael – YouTube, Universal Pictures
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In the interview, Fuqua said, “We were writing while we were shooting. As we were shooting, we were discovering things. We had the structure down. Once we had that, Graham and I would go through that, then we’d sit with John. It was a lot of digging and going back at scenes we had before.”
His comments suggest direct, continued involvement in the project. Fuqua confirmed that the cut footage could go into a potential sequel. However, he could not confirm that he would come back to direct. “I would like to, it’s just about scheduling,” he said. “It would kill me if somebody else did it.”
The Official Story Remains Intact
For now, the official story is that Antoine Fuqua oversaw the Michael reshoots. While conflicting accounts of the production have become part of the broader narrative surrounding the film, the finished product is now speaking for itself. Ultimately, the strong audience response may matter far more than who was behind the camera for the film’s final third.
Do you think Antoine Fuqua finished making the film? Let us know in the comments!
Society’s celebrations of such monsters who caused so much suffering, this is alarming.