
As a longtime follower of Michael Jackson, I remember when the first accusations of child sexual abuse surfaced in 1993. It involved a 13-year-old boy named Jordan Chandler and his family, who claimed Jackson had assaulted him – they’d met through his stepfather’s business. Though no criminal charges were filed, a civil lawsuit was eventually settled for a reported $25 million in 1994. I was really excited about a planned movie, Michael, which was meant to start in 1993 with a dramatic scene of him looking in a mirror as police lights flashed at Neverland Ranch. Apparently, the filmmakers had envisioned a powerful opening showing investigators searching his home for evidence. But according to Variety, that whole scene had to be cut because of a clause in the settlement with Jordan Chandler, which legally prevented any mention of him in a film. It’s frustrating to learn about how that impacted the project.