Netflix Executives Considered Pulling ‘Michael Jackson: The Verdict’ Docuseries a Week Before Its Release (EXCLUSIVE)
Netflix almost pulled the streamer’s recent documentary “Michael Jackson: The Verdict” a week before its release for fear of reprisal, Variety has...
Key points
- Netflix almost pulled the streamer’s recent documentary “Michael Jackson: The Verdict” a week before its release for fear of reprisal, Variety has learned.
- That source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was one of two who told Variety that “higher ups” at the streamer got “cold feet,” and considered axing the project after it had already been announced, mere days before it was due to be released, primarily because of concerns about blowback from Jackson’s estate, which has a reputation for litigiousness.
- “It was the fear of a lawsuit from the estate rather than the fans,” the first source told Variety.
- The series launched as planned and reached the Netflix Top 10 for three weeks.” The Michael Jackson estate’s litigiousness, however, is well-documented.
What happened
Netflix almost pulled the streamer’s recent documentary “Michael Jackson: The Verdict” a week before its release for fear of reprisal, Variety has learned. That source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was one of two who told Variety that “higher ups” at the streamer got “cold feet,” and considered axing the project after it had already been announced, mere days before it was due to be released, primarily because of concerns about blowback from Jackson’s estate, which has a reputation for litigiousness. “It was the fear of a lawsuit from the estate rather than the fans,” the first source told Variety. The series launched as planned and reached the Netflix Top 10 for three weeks.” The Michael Jackson estate’s litigiousness, however, is well-documented. Despite the streamer’s concerns, Variety understands that, to date, Netflix has not heard from the estate. (A spokesperson for the estate did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.) But the source did say that Netflix was unhappy it received “so many emails from the fans” complaining about the documentary, although the company apparently relaxed after discovering a number of those emails were sent by bots, the...
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