| Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Biopic |
| Based on | Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days by Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard |
| Written by | Elizabeth Hunter |
| Directed by | Dianne Houston |
| Starring | Navi Chad L. Coleman Sam Adegoke Aiden Hanlon Smith Taegen Burns |
| Composer | Zach Ryan |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Suzanne De Passe |
| Producers | Kyle A. Clerk Lina Wong |
| Cinematography | Tommy Maddox-Upshaw |
| Editor | Craig Hayes |
| Production companies | Lifetime Silver Screen Pictures |
| Original release | |
| Network | Lifetime |
| Release | May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30) |
Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland is an American biographical television film based on the 2014 book, Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days, written by Jackson's personal bodyguards Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard. The film dramatizes Jackson in the final years of his life.[1][2]
The film is told from the point of view of one of Michael Jackson's bodyguards Bill Whitfield (portrayed by Chad Coleman). It begins in December 2006 when Jackson returns from Bahrain and is now living in a Las Vegas mansion. He doesn't want to return to Neverland after the police raid from years earlier and instead plans to purchase a multi-million-dollar estate in Las Vegas he called “Wonderland.”[3] With Jackson in serious debt, he agrees to do a residency just like Celine Dion. Bill Whitfield says, "He [Jackson] hadn't worked in years. He spent tons of money on lawsuits, legal fees, shopping, and family. Money was his issue." The two bodyguards haven't been paid in months. Shortly before signing with AEG for his residency in London, Jackson hires Nation of Islam bodyguards for his protection. He then begins rehearsing in Los Angeles for his London residency.
On January 13, 2017, Lifetime announced that it had ordered a television biopic of Michael Jackson, which would be based on the book Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days. Production was scheduled to begin in February in Los Angeles.[4]
On its premiere airing, the film was watched by 2 million viewers.[5]
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