‘Leaving Neverland’ Sequel Documentary Due Out in Marc
A sequel to the Michael Jackson documentary Leaving Neverland is coming out next month.
Variety reports that Leaving Neverland II: Surviving Michael Jackson will premiere on Channel 4 in the U.K. on March 18. This sequel is an hour long and will catch up with Wade Robson and James Safechuck, the two men highlighted in Leaving Neverland who accused Jackson of sexually abusing them as children. Additionally, the sequel will detail the fallout Robson and Safechuck dealt with following the release of Leaving Neverland in 2019.
Variety notes, “HBO, which produced the two-part 2019 doc, is not involved in the sequel. In 2020, HBO lost a legal battle against the Jackson estate, which sued the cabler for $100 million and argued that ‘Leaving Neverland’ violated a 27-year-old non-disparagement clause from a 1992 concert film from the ‘Dangerous’ tour.”
While HBO isn’t involved in the sequel, Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed helms the follow-up. News of the sequel was first reported by Deadline in Oct. 2020. At that time, Louisa Compton, Channel 4’s head of news and current affairs, told Deadline about the legal issues surrounding the original documentar, “At Channel 4 we have a robust record of defending freedom of expression. We routinely oppose those who seek orders for journalists to hand over unbroadcast and other journalistic material, grateful for the strong legal protections that exist to protect journalists in the UK and the US.”
Leaving Neverland was a commercial and critical success winning numerous awards, including an Emmy Award in 2019 for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special.
