Paris Jackson has accused her father's estate executors of mishandling the production of the biopic Michael, citing costly reshoots due to a 1994 settlement agreement. The estate defends its management and highlights Paris's substantial benefits from their work. A hearing on estate accounts is set for Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Paris Jackson, daughter of the late Michael Jackson, filed objections last week in Los Angeles Superior Court, questioning the estate's handling of the upcoming biopic Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson as the King of Pop alongside Colman Domingo. Her lawyers allege that co-executor John Branca lacked experience in producing feature films, leading to tens of millions in reshoots after a 1994 settlement exceeding $20 million with the family of Jordan Chandler prohibited certain depictions related to abuse allegations from Jackson's perspective. This agreement, revealed in 2024, prompted retooling and a third delay of the film's release to April 24 by Lionsgate. Paris Jackson has previously described the script as “sugar-coated and dishonest.” The estate, in a March 20 filing, dismissed her claims, stating Paris shows “a complete lack of understanding about how the motion picture industry works.” Executors John Branca and John McClain positioned themselves as the “grown-ups,” noting no payments have been disallowed in 16 years and that Paris has received about $65 million, with hundreds of millions more to come. They accuse her team of false objections and media games. Paris's filing calls the $65 million figure “outright false.” A spokesperson for the estate expressed satisfaction with the film, expecting it to be profitable, and clarified that script changes were unrelated to Branca's producer role, as he is not an executive producer. Tuesday's hearing will address the estate's 2025 accounts, which Paris wants filed by mid-September, while the estate seeks until April 2027.
