HBO‘s new documentary about Michael Jackson will air in Australia on Channel 10 this March.
Leaving Neverland, a two-part documentary directed by Dan Reed, includes testimonials from two men who allege Michael Jackson molested them when they were young boys. James Safechuck and Wade Robson, who were befriended by Jackson when they were aged ten and seven respectively, often spent time with the pop superstar at his Neverland Ranch.
“Everybody wanted to meet Michael or be with Michael,” Safechuck says in the trailer. “And then he likes you.”
The documentary has proven divisive and controversial since its premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Deadline reported the premiere received a standing ovation from the theatre. Online, HBO has been bombarded with hordes of negative comments slamming the network for airing the documentary.
On Thursday, the Michael Jackson Estate sued HBO for $140 million over the doco, claiming it breaches a non-disparagement clause in a 1992 contract.
“In 2005, Michael Jackson was subjected to a trial — where rules of evidence and law were applied before a neutral judge and jury and where both sides were heard — and he was exonerated by a sophisticated jury,” the lawsuit reads.
Jackson was famously acquitted of molesting 13-year-old boy Gavin Arvizo in 2005.
“Ten years after his passing, there are still those out to profit from his enormous worldwide success and take advantage of his eccentricities. Michael is an easy target because he is not here to defend himself, and the law does not protect the deceased from defamation, no matter how extreme the lies are.”
Leaving Neverland will air on 10 and WIN over two nights – Friday, March 8 at 9pm and Saturday, March 9 at 9:30pm.
