Antoine Fuqua has revealed that his only contact with Michael Jackson was a brief phone call, and that the King of Pop simply wanted to say hello and tell him he liked his work.
Talk to Variety like his Michael biopic opened to $97 million in the United States and $217.4 million worldwide, the best opening weekend of his career, Fuqua reflected on the personal connection, or lack thereof, he had with his subject.
When asked if he had ever met Jackson, the director responded candidly.
“No, just a phone call when I was being considered as a director for Remember the time. I was in Italy, so I couldn’t participate in the auction for this one. He was a calm and nice guy. It wasn’t so much an audition or anything like that, it was more him saying hello to me and how much he loved my work. It was like he touched base with me. It wasn’t a long phone call. »
Fuqua came to the project through an unexpected path.
While working on Equalizer 3 with cinematographer Bob Richardson, he was shown a photograph of Richardson alongside a character who bore a striking resemblance to Jackson.
It turned out to be Jaafar Jackson, the singer’s nephew, during a screen test.
“It blew my mind,” Fuqua said. Producer Graham King then flew to meet him on the Amalfi Coast to discuss the film, and from there the director was on board.
The road to the finished film was not without significant complications.
The film’s original ending featured Jackson’s accuser, Jordan Chandler, whose settlement with the singer’s estate legally prevented him from being depicted on screen.
The discovery came after filming had finished, requiring 20 days of additional filming at an additional cost of $50 million, bringing the film’s total net production cost to $200 million.
Fuqua had to give up other projects to accommodate the additional filming.
He spoke to Variety during a trip to Italy, where he is currently filming Hannibala Netflix feature film starring Denzel Washington.
Fuqua has previously directed music videos for Toni Braxton, Stevie Wonder, Prince and Coolio, including the iconic Gangsta paradise.
