In life Michael Jackson thrilled fans the world over with his unrivaled talent. In death the undisputed King of Pop looks set to do the same, with reports confirming that rehearsal footage from his ill-fated ‘This Is It’ London shows will be hitting the big screen this October:
Sony Pictures has paid $60 million for the rights to release a movie of footage shot during Michael Jackson’s rehearsals for his This Is It concert tour, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The film will hit theaters October 30. According to other reports, AEG Live, which is said to have 80 hours of rehearsal footage at its disposal, and Jackson’s family will split Sony’s money, with Jackson’s family receiving 90 percent of the fee and establishing a charity in the late singer’s name. {Source}
I, for one, am really excited to see what Michael was cooking up, along with the show’s director Kenny Ortega, the talented cast of dancers and the other great folk assembled for what was supposed to be a spectacle of proportions concert-goers had never seen before.
I’ve heard some in the MJ fan community complaining about companies trying to exploit the tragedy and make money from this all. However, it’s important for such people to remember that Michael Jackson himself was in his hey-day a very smart business man (See: Sony ATV/ Beatles catalogue) and understood that the business side of things was just as important as the creative side too. I mean why not release the footage? The world wants to see MJ in his element for the last time. With 90% of the profit going towards his estate, which will ultimately benefit his children (neither they or their own children will ever have to work in their lives), I’m struggling to see anything wrong with this. If anything, the release of the movie, DVDs, new albums etc will further propel his legendary status even higher, something which really makes his sad death that bit easier to deal with. Roll on October…
Your thoughts?
