Michael as a movie director

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I would have loved to have seen MJ direct at least one movie. When i look at all his short films i feel like he would have made a pretty good movie director. Michael has said that he was always really involved with the creative process of his short films so i think he would have made a pretty good film director.
 
I agrre :)
Actually he wanted to be director and actor in many movies that were canceled:

“Peter Pan” – 1985, 1988..
On July 26, 2009, it is revealed that Michael Jackson particularly wished to play Peter Pan in a London musical. Jackson was a longtime fan of Peter Pan and his story and would consider himself Pan “in my heart”. In the 1980’s, film director, Steven Spielberg wanted to do a musical version about a grown-up Peter Pan with Jackson as the lead. Everything was set to go ahead in 1985, but Spielberg then decided he wasn't going to do the project as he had just had his first child and wanted to spend time with him. It was officially abandoned when the director decided to film Big in 1987 instead, which had similar themes of the forever young child. The artist became overwhelmed with emotion when he met theater director, Sir Trevor Nunn to seek advice on his tour around 1988 and learned he had staged performances about the story of the boy who never grew up. Trevor reveals: "He said he wanted to be able to fly over the audience and I said, 'That's not a problem. There's no difficulty, I had people flying over the audience when I did Peter Pan.' It was like I had pressed a button that would give him an electric shock - everything changed. He sat bolt upright and the excitement was just overwhelming, he jumped up, he walked round the room, he kept repeating, 'Peter Pan, oh my god, Peter Pan'. '"I explained we had done the show in London using adult actors to play the children and suddenly his eyes were brimful with tears and he came across the room and he knelt down in front of me and he grabbed my knees and he said, 'Could I play Peter Pan? Is it too late for me to play Peter Pan?'"
“Peter Pan” is a 1953 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the 1904 play Peter Pan or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J. M. Barrie. It is the fourteenth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and was originally released on February 5, 1953 by RKO Pictures. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival. A sequel titled Return to Never Land and a prequel titled Tinker Bell were released in 2002 and 2008 respectively. In the London nursery of three children of the Darling family, Wendy, John and Michael Darling receive a visit from Peter Pan, who takes them to Never (Never) Land (Jackson’s inspiration for his Neverland Ranch). With the help of his tiny friend, the fairy Tinkerbell, Peter takes the three children on a magical flight to Never Land. This enchanted island is home to Peter, Tink, the Lost Boys, Tiger Lily and her Native American nation, and the scheming Captain Hook, who is as intent on defeating Peter Pan as he is from escaping a tick-tocking crocodile that once ate a hand of his that Peter Pan cut off.

“The Phantom Of The Opera” - 1988..
On June 29, 2009, theater impresario, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber reveals that Michael Jackson wished to star in the movie version of the hit musical, ‘Phantom Of The Opera’. After watching the show, which debuted in 1988, numerous times, the artist was left so impressed that would often go backstage to visit the play’s cast and discussed seriously with Lloyd about starring as ‘The Phantom’ in a big screen adaptation of the hit musical. But Lloyd Webber could not make it happen for Jackson back then, as he wasn’t ready to turn it into a film. However, when the helmer did make the movie in 2004, he cast Gerard Butler. “The story got to him. I think he had a connection with the lonely, tortured musician. He found the idea of somebody working through music and having a girl as a muse very intriguing - and he loved that there was illusion in the show,” Weber was quoted as saying. “Michael became interested in playing The Phantom himself, in a movie version of the show. We talked about it a lot, but we’d only just opened and, at the time, I felt that it was too early for it to become a film. I felt his interest in Phantom was because he was interested in doing something theatrical himself,” Webber adds.
“Edward Scissorhands” - 1990..
Michael Jackson was to star for a major movie role: “Edward Scissorhands”, produced by screenwriter, Caroline Thompson’s, who also wrote The Addams Family, The Nightmare Before Christmas and last year’s City of Ember. Shortly after the singer’s sudden demise, Thompson, in an interview with Viceland, declares: “Larry Wilson - who I wrote The Addams Family with - and I wrote a film for him. The director was Anton Furst, who was the production designer on Tim Burton’s Batman.”, says the screenwriter. “[…] We had a very long and hilarious day at Neverland with him. […] Oh, he was a huge ‘Edward Scissorhands’ fan; that’s why I was hired for the job. I’m sure he would have loved to have been Edward Scissorhands. […]” Thompson further adds that they eventually turned the project in, and that “Anton [Furst] didn’t want to [do it], which is when I said, “Grow up, Anton.” I told him it is what it is and we’ll see what happens. Anton was scared, it was his first movie. He had no idea what shape it should be in to go to the studio. […] And [Anton] was [also] going to rehab [at the time]”. Thompson’s idea behind this project was motivated by “being in the world, and the whole world loves you, and then you don’t do what the world wants you to do, and they all turn against you.”
“Edward Scissorhands” is, as the fim’s subtitle indicates, “The Story Of An Uncommonly Gentle Man”, a 1990 American romantic fantasy film directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. The film shows the story of an artificial man named Edward, an unfinished creation, who has scissors instead of hands. Edward is taken in by a suburban family and falls in love with their teenage daughter, Kim. He becomes the source of fantasy, gossip, resentment, adoration and lust for the neighbors (very much like Jackson himself), whom he wins over with his outlandish haircuts and elaborate sculptures. Burton explains that his depiction of suburbia is "not a bad place. It's a weird place. I tried to walk the fine line of making it funny and strange without it being judgmental. It's a place where there's a lot of integrity." Kim leaves her jock boyfriend (Jim) to be with Edward, an event that many have postulated as Burton's revenge against jocks he encountered as a teenager. Supporting roles are portrayed by Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker, Alan Arkin and Vincent Price (credited for Michael Jackson’s 1982 hit single, ‘Thiller’, as the scary speaking voice). Burton conceived the idea for ‘Edward Scissorhands’ from his childhood upbringing in suburban Burbank, California. Caroline Thompson was hired to adapt Burton's story into a screenplay, and the film began development at 20th Century Fox. The film received numerous nominations at many important awards, as well as winning the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. Although not publicly known, Burton's first choice for the role of Edward was Michael Jackson, but there were circumstances that made this impossible, as explained above. Burton acknowledged that the main themes of Edward Scissorhands, a fairy-tale book, deal with self-discovery and isolation. Edward is found living alone in the attic of a Gothic castle, a setting that is also used for main characters in Burton's Batman and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Edward Scissorhands climaxes much like James Whale's Frankenstein and Burton's own Frankenweenie. A mob confronts the "evil creature", in this case, Edward, at his castle. With Edward finally unable to consummate his love for Kim because of his appearance, the film can also be seen as being influenced by Beauty and the Beast. Jackson was of fan of all these movies and tales and could identify with the protagonist characters and people’s often erroneous and grotesque perception of them. Edward Scissorhands is a kind and pure-hearted young man created by an elderly inventor. Although widely accepted at first, his innocence and obedience eventually get him into trouble, which was very much the case with Jackson throughout his life.

“The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao” musical remake - 1994
In early 1994, Michael Jackson, a huge fan of fantasy, magic and musicals, has been involved in developing a musical remake of the fantasy movie, ‘The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao’, which was originally released in 1964. “Seven Faces of Dr. Lao” is a 1964 film adaptation of the 1935 fantasy novel “The Circus of Dr. Lao” by Charles G. Finney. It details the visit of a magical circus to a small town in the southwest United States, and the effects that visit has on the people of the town. The novel was adapted by Charles Beaumont, directed by George Pal and starred Tony Randall in the title roles.
“Sisterella” - 1996
Michael Jackson and Jerry Greenberg are the executive producers of the musical 'Sisterella', the black adaptation of “Cinderella”, which opened at the Pasadena Playhouse in California, USA on March 17, 1996 and was a huge sucess. Jackson attends the last showing of the play. The 'Sisterella' stage production also appeared in some parts of Europe, such as Germany (in December, 1996), and premiered in Melbourne, Australia at 'The Regent Theatre' on March 7, 1998. Jackson was a renowned fairytale fanatic. “Cinderella”, or “The Little Glass Slipper" is a classic folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances which suddenly change to remarkable fortune. The word "cinderella" has come to mean one whose attributes are unrecognised, or one who unexpectedly achieves recognition or success after a period of obscurity and neglect. Larry Hart, who wrote the book, music, and lyrics for the black adapted story, is a Grammy-award-winning gospel singer and song writer and also stars in “Sisterella”. Michael Jackson became involved with the production of this play when Hart presented the original music tracks to him. Jackson saw the potential of Sisterella's music and immediately acquired the soundtrack rights and signed Larry Hart to a solo record deal.
The show is set in New York in 1912. Multi-millionaire John Kensington has died and is survived by his daughter, Ella, his second wife, Dahlia and his stepdaughters, Magnolia and Chrysanthemum. Dahlia plays the role of the grieving widow, anticipating inheriting his entire estate valued at over 900 million dollars. Later, it is discovered that Ella is going to inherit the estate from her father, a fact that leaves her stepmother and two stepsisters jealous and disturbed. In an attempt to secure the inheritance for themselves, the evil stepfamily devises a cowardly plot for Ella's demise. There's a prince and even the fairy Godfigure in this play, as well as lawyers, a court case and a trial. And a very happy ending. “Sisterella”, has got dynamic staging, lavish costuming, lighting and special effects, rousing toe-tapping, hand-clapping music with lyrics that are clever, funny and satirical. Choreographer Raymond Del Barrio combines ballet with modern dance, waltzes, moonwalks, acrobatics and other styles invigorating the stage. “Sisterella” wins a staggering 8 NAACP Theater Awards at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in the United States.

“The Nightmares of Edgar Allan Poe” - 1999..
Since 1999, there have been reports about Michael Jackson intending to star in an independent film, a European-funded project on poet and first Gothic writer, Edgar Allan Poe’s life, titled “The Nightmares Of Edgar Allan Poe”. The singer wished to take the title role in the film, him being a longtime fan of Poe’s, in an 1977 interview confessing he would be asked by his teacher to come in front of the class and read his Poe-like poems. Jackson was sensitive to Poe’s pains and struggles and appreciated his writing genius. The entertainer is – or, at least, should be known for his ability to empathize with the misunderstood and search for the good in everything and everyone without placing judgements or having prejudiced opinions. The executive producers for this eventually unmade film were to be, alongside Jackson, Gary L Pudney and Jim Green. Poe, who was born in Boston, Massachusetts, died aged 40 in 1849 after a life of misery and madness, and an obsessive fascination with the supernatural. He was best known for his poems, short tales and literary criticism. Poe has never before been the subject of a major movie biography, though a 20th Century Fox film called “The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe” was made in 1942, and the writer was a character in a 1951 MGM mystery called “The Man with a Cloak”. Screenwriter Philip Levin, who came up with the idea for “The Nightmares of Edgar Allen Poe”, was said to be writing the screenplay, which would cover the week before Poe's death. The exact cause of Poe's death, in Baltimore, remains a mystery. Five days earlier, he had been found semi-conscious and delirious – allegedly a victim of alcohol, heart failure, epilepsy - or a combination of these. “Michael says by the time he’s done preparing for this, the audience isn’t even going to know it’s him, with the major makeup,” co-executive producer, Gary Pudney tells USA Today’s Jeannie Williams in 2000. “The new Michael is Michael Jackson, the movie actor. That is what he wants to devote his energies to.”, Pudney adds. Although the movie was not a musical, Jackson planned to sing a song with lyrics based on Poe’s poetry over the closing credits. Producer Pudney said Jackson had talked to Steven Spielberg about the project, who was enthusiastic at the time and suggested several potential directors, including Tim Burton.
When “This Is It”, the documentary, became a huge hit, critics such as Armond White bemoaned the wasted opportunities Michael Jackson had for a film career and asked why Hollywood never made a greater effort to cash in on Michael’s talent for the big screen. In 1999, it did look like “The Nightmares of Edgar Allan Poe” was all set to go into production, and had the entertainment industry abuzz

“They Cage The Animals At Night” - 2009..
In 2009, Shortly after the singer’s untimely demise, B-movie producer, writer and director Bryan Michael Stoller declares that Michael Jackson was partners with him in the film company Magic Shadows, and that, 3 months before his passing, the singer-entertainer met with him and discussed reviving a book-drama about foster children as an indie movie, having been committed to co-directing, financing and planning to start the work on the project as soon as he completed the London concerts. “He was very excited about making movies and wanted his hands on everything, from working on screenplays to producing, to writing the music”, Stoller says. The project was to be based on a 1984 book, “They Cage The Animals At Night”, one of Jackson’s favorite books, about the real-life experiences of author Jennings Michael Burch, who spent most of his childhood in many foster homes as a child. Due to struggling with being a single mother, Burch's mother placed her sons in foster care in 1949, when Jennings was eight, but she vowed that she would be back. Between 1949 and 1954, he had stayed in 32 foster homes, moved with his family three times, and stayed with at least three sets of foster parents. He documented this period of time in his memoir, “They Cage the Animals at Night”. Jackson showed the book to Stoller in 2002 at his Neverland estate and asked if he wanted to produce and co-direct a movie version. “Michael told me often he felt like he grew up as an orphan, like a foster kid, because he never was in one home,” Stoller says. “To him every hotel was like a different foster home. He said he used to sit in the window and see kids playing outside and cry because he couldn't be part of that.”. Stoller adds that the author of the book was excited to work with the singer and that Jackson wasn't interested in making a blockbuster. “He wanted to do movies the Academy would like. Michael was going to put up 8 million dollars and not have to deal with any studios or producers and then take it to the studios afterward,” Stoller recalls. “He was very passionate about being a director. He was determined to make this movie.” In 2003, Michael Jackson arranged to have author Jennings Michael Burch visit Neverland. During the visit, Jackson sat down and interviewed Burch about his childhood hardships and works, in addition, Burch shows him a stuffed pet he would find comfort in and be his only friend during his childhood. At one point, Burch breaks down in tears and asks the singer if he would be his friend forever, to which a sympathetic Jackson gets up and embraces him, assuring him that he would.

“To Kill A Mockingbird” - 1962 *trivia*
Michael Jackson kept his spirits up during his 2005 trial by watching movie classic, “To Kill A Mockinbird”. Jackson's movie-making friend, Brian Michael Stoller, insisted the film would help to cheer his friend up, despite its dark subject matter and the fact the storyline reflected his own real-life problems. Stoller tells that "It's his favourite movie. He has an actual 35-millimetre print of the movie. I said to him one day, 'You're living To Kill a Mockingbird right now - it was all about a black man who was on trial. And you're innocent.’ It was just really weird that was his favourite film even before these allegations happened." On June 13, 2005, Michael Jackson was found not guilty on all charges brought against him two years before. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was instantly successful and has become a classic of modern American literature. The film, baring the same name, is released two years later in December and is an American drama adaptation of the novel. It stars Mary Badham in the role of Scout and Gregory Peck (one of Michael Jackson’s good friends) in the role of Atticus Finch. The film's young protagonists, Scout (played by Mary Badham) and her brother, Jem (Phillip Alford), live in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the 1930’s. The story covers three years, during which Scout and Jem undergo changes in their lives. They begin as innocent children, who spend their days happily playing games with each other and spying on the town bogeyman (played by Robert Duvall). Through their father's (Gregory Peck) work as a lawyer, they begin to learn of the racism and evil prevalent in their town, and painfully mature as they are exposed to it. Tom Robinson (an African-American man accused of raping Mayella Ewell), is convicted, even though all evidence points to his innocence. Atticus says during Robinson’s trial that "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird". It is no wonder why Jackson would identify himself with Robinson and his story, which now reverberates even stronger and more eerie after the singer’s passing. A mockingbird represents innocence and the title of the book and film signifies killing innocence. In reference to this quality which many adults have forsaken, Michael Jackson confesses to the reader through his poem, “Magical Child” from his 1992 book, “Dancing The Dream”, that his “power of innocence, of compassion, of light / Threatened the priests and created a fright, / In endless ways they sought to dismantle / This mysterious force which they could not handle. / […] And while they whispered and conspired / Through endless rumors to get him tired, / To kill his wonder, trample him near, / Burn his courage, fuel his fear, / The child remained just simple, sincere […]”, and continues to write how “With cruel darts they tried to plunder, / To suffocate and strangle his innocent wonder” in his other poem-sequel, “Magical Child II”.
“The Elephant Man” - 1980 *trivia*
In 1986, it was reported (a then 27 year-old) Michael Jackson had contacted the Royal London Hospital in an attempt to secure the remains of Joseph Merrick, a.k.a. The Elephant Man, for 1 million dollars, a rumor the entertainer would refute during being interviewed by Oprah in 1993. He notes: "I love the story of the Elephant man. He reminds me of me a lot, and I could relate to it. It made me cry, because I saw myself in the story, but no, I never asked for the....where am I going to put some bones?" In his 1988 video for “Leave Me Alone”, directed against rumors he dispelled as false, Jackson appears at one point dancing with the bones of Merrick, laughing off the said story about him wishing to purchase his bones. In her controversial 1991 autobiography, “La Toya: Growing Up In The Jackson Family”, sister La Toya Jackson supports her brother’s deep interest in unjustly treated creatures: “In the course of reading his medical books, Michael developed a fascination with freaks of nature. He devoured information about every conceivable condition and could talk for hours about the lives of Siamese twins, the famed Alligator Man, and other sideshow celebrities. Because of his interest in these poor creatures, the press has gleefully depicted Michael as some sort of morbid creep. But as with so many facets of my brother’s personality, all I can say is, if you knew him like I do, you’d see that it’s not macabre at all. […] The sight of a starving African child on TV moves him to tears. He was overcome with sympathy for freaks such as the Elephant Man, crying no matter how many times he sees David Lynch’s film about John Merrick. “Imagine what life was like for them”, he’d say sadly. “How hard it must have been to be stared at wherever they went, taunted, and to be considered so different from normal people, even though they probably had the same feelings…” […] I get angry when Michael’s curiosity in this field is made fun of. It’s not out of mockery that he takes an interest, but caring.”
Below is a summary of “The Elephant Man”’s emotional and compelling story. It is no wonder why Jackson could relate to it significantly, having been mercilessly teased and mocked about his appearance both as a child and as an adult, when he developed the milk-white skin condition, Vitiligo.
“Pinocchio 3000”
Dieter Weisner, Michael Jackson’s former manager, reveals in an exclusive interview with MJKlub Portal (the former JacksonVillage) in October, 2010, that his former boss planned a project, called “Pinocchio 3000” (in 2002 or 2003) one of the many unfinished projects the entertainer had worked on. “I had a conversation with Michael about this”, Weisner says, whie putting on a taped dialogue he had carried with Jackson. Weisner then expresses his agreement with Jackson's affirmation, then declares: “After this conversation, I contacted Michel Lemire – he is the Deputy General Manager of Cine-Group. He confirmed to me in an email that he and his General Manager were at Neverland and negotiated with Michael. Even the signing of the contract had been confirmed. I spent my time with Michael in Montreal.” He continues: “Our General Manager, Jacques Pettigrew, flew to California where he spent time with Michael and his family. Michael was mainly interested in materializing 3D projects. Hollywood lost its glamour for him and he rather would love to work with people, who cared more about quality than dollars. Afterwards there surfaced those new (and final) allegations against Michael. The projects were in the range of family entertainment and so the climate changed there understandably. Michael left his ranch as we all know and he was located in Bahrain for a certain (period of) time.”

Thesilencedtruth.com
 
I agrre :)
Actually he wanted to be director and actor in many movies that were canceled:

“Peter Pan” – 1985, 1988..
On July 26, 2009, it is revealed that Michael Jackson particularly wished to play Peter Pan in a London musical. Jackson was a longtime fan of Peter Pan and his story and would consider himself Pan “in my heart”. In the 1980’s, film director, Steven Spielberg wanted to do a musical version about a grown-up Peter Pan with Jackson as the lead. Everything was set to go ahead in 1985, but Spielberg then decided he wasn't going to do the project as he had just had his first child and wanted to spend time with him. It was officially abandoned when the director decided to film Big in 1987 instead, which had similar themes of the forever young child. The artist became overwhelmed with emotion when he met theater director, Sir Trevor Nunn to seek advice on his tour around 1988 and learned he had staged performances about the story of the boy who never grew up. Trevor reveals: "He said he wanted to be able to fly over the audience and I said, 'That's not a problem. There's no difficulty, I had people flying over the audience when I did Peter Pan.' It was like I had pressed a button that would give him an electric shock - everything changed. He sat bolt upright and the excitement was just overwhelming, he jumped up, he walked round the room, he kept repeating, 'Peter Pan, oh my god, Peter Pan'. '"I explained we had done the show in London using adult actors to play the children and suddenly his eyes were brimful with tears and he came across the room and he knelt down in front of me and he grabbed my knees and he said, 'Could I play Peter Pan? Is it too late for me to play Peter Pan?'"
“Peter Pan” is a 1953 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the 1904 play Peter Pan or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J. M. Barrie. It is the fourteenth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and was originally released on February 5, 1953 by RKO Pictures. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival. A sequel titled Return to Never Land and a prequel titled Tinker Bell were released in 2002 and 2008 respectively. In the London nursery of three children of the Darling family, Wendy, John and Michael Darling receive a visit from Peter Pan, who takes them to Never (Never) Land (Jackson’s inspiration for his Neverland Ranch). With the help of his tiny friend, the fairy Tinkerbell, Peter takes the three children on a magical flight to Never Land. This enchanted island is home to Peter, Tink, the Lost Boys, Tiger Lily and her Native American nation, and the scheming Captain Hook, who is as intent on defeating Peter Pan as he is from escaping a tick-tocking crocodile that once ate a hand of his that Peter Pan cut off.

“The Phantom Of The Opera” - 1988..
On June 29, 2009, theater impresario, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber reveals that Michael Jackson wished to star in the movie version of the hit musical, ‘Phantom Of The Opera’. After watching the show, which debuted in 1988, numerous times, the artist was left so impressed that would often go backstage to visit the play’s cast and discussed seriously with Lloyd about starring as ‘The Phantom’ in a big screen adaptation of the hit musical. But Lloyd Webber could not make it happen for Jackson back then, as he wasn’t ready to turn it into a film. However, when the helmer did make the movie in 2004, he cast Gerard Butler. “The story got to him. I think he had a connection with the lonely, tortured musician. He found the idea of somebody working through music and having a girl as a muse very intriguing - and he loved that there was illusion in the show,” Weber was quoted as saying. “Michael became interested in playing The Phantom himself, in a movie version of the show. We talked about it a lot, but we’d only just opened and, at the time, I felt that it was too early for it to become a film. I felt his interest in Phantom was because he was interested in doing something theatrical himself,” Webber adds.
“Edward Scissorhands” - 1990..
Michael Jackson was to star for a major movie role: “Edward Scissorhands”, produced by screenwriter, Caroline Thompson’s, who also wrote The Addams Family, The Nightmare Before Christmas and last year’s City of Ember. Shortly after the singer’s sudden demise, Thompson, in an interview with Viceland, declares: “Larry Wilson - who I wrote The Addams Family with - and I wrote a film for him. The director was Anton Furst, who was the production designer on Tim Burton’s Batman.”, says the screenwriter. “[…] We had a very long and hilarious day at Neverland with him. […] Oh, he was a huge ‘Edward Scissorhands’ fan; that’s why I was hired for the job. I’m sure he would have loved to have been Edward Scissorhands. […]” Thompson further adds that they eventually turned the project in, and that “Anton [Furst] didn’t want to [do it], which is when I said, “Grow up, Anton.” I told him it is what it is and we’ll see what happens. Anton was scared, it was his first movie. He had no idea what shape it should be in to go to the studio. […] And [Anton] was [also] going to rehab [at the time]”. Thompson’s idea behind this project was motivated by “being in the world, and the whole world loves you, and then you don’t do what the world wants you to do, and they all turn against you.”
“Edward Scissorhands” is, as the fim’s subtitle indicates, “The Story Of An Uncommonly Gentle Man”, a 1990 American romantic fantasy film directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. The film shows the story of an artificial man named Edward, an unfinished creation, who has scissors instead of hands. Edward is taken in by a suburban family and falls in love with their teenage daughter, Kim. He becomes the source of fantasy, gossip, resentment, adoration and lust for the neighbors (very much like Jackson himself), whom he wins over with his outlandish haircuts and elaborate sculptures. Burton explains that his depiction of suburbia is "not a bad place. It's a weird place. I tried to walk the fine line of making it funny and strange without it being judgmental. It's a place where there's a lot of integrity." Kim leaves her jock boyfriend (Jim) to be with Edward, an event that many have postulated as Burton's revenge against jocks he encountered as a teenager. Supporting roles are portrayed by Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker, Alan Arkin and Vincent Price (credited for Michael Jackson’s 1982 hit single, ‘Thiller’, as the scary speaking voice). Burton conceived the idea for ‘Edward Scissorhands’ from his childhood upbringing in suburban Burbank, California. Caroline Thompson was hired to adapt Burton's story into a screenplay, and the film began development at 20th Century Fox. The film received numerous nominations at many important awards, as well as winning the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. Although not publicly known, Burton's first choice for the role of Edward was Michael Jackson, but there were circumstances that made this impossible, as explained above. Burton acknowledged that the main themes of Edward Scissorhands, a fairy-tale book, deal with self-discovery and isolation. Edward is found living alone in the attic of a Gothic castle, a setting that is also used for main characters in Burton's Batman and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Edward Scissorhands climaxes much like James Whale's Frankenstein and Burton's own Frankenweenie. A mob confronts the "evil creature", in this case, Edward, at his castle. With Edward finally unable to consummate his love for Kim because of his appearance, the film can also be seen as being influenced by Beauty and the Beast. Jackson was of fan of all these movies and tales and could identify with the protagonist characters and people’s often erroneous and grotesque perception of them. Edward Scissorhands is a kind and pure-hearted young man created by an elderly inventor. Although widely accepted at first, his innocence and obedience eventually get him into trouble, which was very much the case with Jackson throughout his life.

“The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao” musical remake - 1994
In early 1994, Michael Jackson, a huge fan of fantasy, magic and musicals, has been involved in developing a musical remake of the fantasy movie, ‘The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao’, which was originally released in 1964. “Seven Faces of Dr. Lao” is a 1964 film adaptation of the 1935 fantasy novel “The Circus of Dr. Lao” by Charles G. Finney. It details the visit of a magical circus to a small town in the southwest United States, and the effects that visit has on the people of the town. The novel was adapted by Charles Beaumont, directed by George Pal and starred Tony Randall in the title roles.
“Sisterella” - 1996
Michael Jackson and Jerry Greenberg are the executive producers of the musical 'Sisterella', the black adaptation of “Cinderella”, which opened at the Pasadena Playhouse in California, USA on March 17, 1996 and was a huge sucess. Jackson attends the last showing of the play. The 'Sisterella' stage production also appeared in some parts of Europe, such as Germany (in December, 1996), and premiered in Melbourne, Australia at 'The Regent Theatre' on March 7, 1998. Jackson was a renowned fairytale fanatic. “Cinderella”, or “The Little Glass Slipper" is a classic folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances which suddenly change to remarkable fortune. The word "cinderella" has come to mean one whose attributes are unrecognised, or one who unexpectedly achieves recognition or success after a period of obscurity and neglect. Larry Hart, who wrote the book, music, and lyrics for the black adapted story, is a Grammy-award-winning gospel singer and song writer and also stars in “Sisterella”. Michael Jackson became involved with the production of this play when Hart presented the original music tracks to him. Jackson saw the potential of Sisterella's music and immediately acquired the soundtrack rights and signed Larry Hart to a solo record deal.
The show is set in New York in 1912. Multi-millionaire John Kensington has died and is survived by his daughter, Ella, his second wife, Dahlia and his stepdaughters, Magnolia and Chrysanthemum. Dahlia plays the role of the grieving widow, anticipating inheriting his entire estate valued at over 900 million dollars. Later, it is discovered that Ella is going to inherit the estate from her father, a fact that leaves her stepmother and two stepsisters jealous and disturbed. In an attempt to secure the inheritance for themselves, the evil stepfamily devises a cowardly plot for Ella's demise. There's a prince and even the fairy Godfigure in this play, as well as lawyers, a court case and a trial. And a very happy ending. “Sisterella”, has got dynamic staging, lavish costuming, lighting and special effects, rousing toe-tapping, hand-clapping music with lyrics that are clever, funny and satirical. Choreographer Raymond Del Barrio combines ballet with modern dance, waltzes, moonwalks, acrobatics and other styles invigorating the stage. “Sisterella” wins a staggering 8 NAACP Theater Awards at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in the United States.

“The Nightmares of Edgar Allan Poe” - 1999..
Since 1999, there have been reports about Michael Jackson intending to star in an independent film, a European-funded project on poet and first Gothic writer, Edgar Allan Poe’s life, titled “The Nightmares Of Edgar Allan Poe”. The singer wished to take the title role in the film, him being a longtime fan of Poe’s, in an 1977 interview confessing he would be asked by his teacher to come in front of the class and read his Poe-like poems. Jackson was sensitive to Poe’s pains and struggles and appreciated his writing genius. The entertainer is – or, at least, should be known for his ability to empathize with the misunderstood and search for the good in everything and everyone without placing judgements or having prejudiced opinions. The executive producers for this eventually unmade film were to be, alongside Jackson, Gary L Pudney and Jim Green. Poe, who was born in Boston, Massachusetts, died aged 40 in 1849 after a life of misery and madness, and an obsessive fascination with the supernatural. He was best known for his poems, short tales and literary criticism. Poe has never before been the subject of a major movie biography, though a 20th Century Fox film called “The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe” was made in 1942, and the writer was a character in a 1951 MGM mystery called “The Man with a Cloak”. Screenwriter Philip Levin, who came up with the idea for “The Nightmares of Edgar Allen Poe”, was said to be writing the screenplay, which would cover the week before Poe's death. The exact cause of Poe's death, in Baltimore, remains a mystery. Five days earlier, he had been found semi-conscious and delirious – allegedly a victim of alcohol, heart failure, epilepsy - or a combination of these. “Michael says by the time he’s done preparing for this, the audience isn’t even going to know it’s him, with the major makeup,” co-executive producer, Gary Pudney tells USA Today’s Jeannie Williams in 2000. “The new Michael is Michael Jackson, the movie actor. That is what he wants to devote his energies to.”, Pudney adds. Although the movie was not a musical, Jackson planned to sing a song with lyrics based on Poe’s poetry over the closing credits. Producer Pudney said Jackson had talked to Steven Spielberg about the project, who was enthusiastic at the time and suggested several potential directors, including Tim Burton.
When “This Is It”, the documentary, became a huge hit, critics such as Armond White bemoaned the wasted opportunities Michael Jackson had for a film career and asked why Hollywood never made a greater effort to cash in on Michael’s talent for the big screen. In 1999, it did look like “The Nightmares of Edgar Allan Poe” was all set to go into production, and had the entertainment industry abuzz

“They Cage The Animals At Night” - 2009..
In 2009, Shortly after the singer’s untimely demise, B-movie producer, writer and director Bryan Michael Stoller declares that Michael Jackson was partners with him in the film company Magic Shadows, and that, 3 months before his passing, the singer-entertainer met with him and discussed reviving a book-drama about foster children as an indie movie, having been committed to co-directing, financing and planning to start the work on the project as soon as he completed the London concerts. “He was very excited about making movies and wanted his hands on everything, from working on screenplays to producing, to writing the music”, Stoller says. The project was to be based on a 1984 book, “They Cage The Animals At Night”, one of Jackson’s favorite books, about the real-life experiences of author Jennings Michael Burch, who spent most of his childhood in many foster homes as a child. Due to struggling with being a single mother, Burch's mother placed her sons in foster care in 1949, when Jennings was eight, but she vowed that she would be back. Between 1949 and 1954, he had stayed in 32 foster homes, moved with his family three times, and stayed with at least three sets of foster parents. He documented this period of time in his memoir, “They Cage the Animals at Night”. Jackson showed the book to Stoller in 2002 at his Neverland estate and asked if he wanted to produce and co-direct a movie version. “Michael told me often he felt like he grew up as an orphan, like a foster kid, because he never was in one home,” Stoller says. “To him every hotel was like a different foster home. He said he used to sit in the window and see kids playing outside and cry because he couldn't be part of that.”. Stoller adds that the author of the book was excited to work with the singer and that Jackson wasn't interested in making a blockbuster. “He wanted to do movies the Academy would like. Michael was going to put up 8 million dollars and not have to deal with any studios or producers and then take it to the studios afterward,” Stoller recalls. “He was very passionate about being a director. He was determined to make this movie.” In 2003, Michael Jackson arranged to have author Jennings Michael Burch visit Neverland. During the visit, Jackson sat down and interviewed Burch about his childhood hardships and works, in addition, Burch shows him a stuffed pet he would find comfort in and be his only friend during his childhood. At one point, Burch breaks down in tears and asks the singer if he would be his friend forever, to which a sympathetic Jackson gets up and embraces him, assuring him that he would.

“To Kill A Mockingbird” - 1962 *trivia*
Michael Jackson kept his spirits up during his 2005 trial by watching movie classic, “To Kill A Mockinbird”. Jackson's movie-making friend, Brian Michael Stoller, insisted the film would help to cheer his friend up, despite its dark subject matter and the fact the storyline reflected his own real-life problems. Stoller tells that "It's his favourite movie. He has an actual 35-millimetre print of the movie. I said to him one day, 'You're living To Kill a Mockingbird right now - it was all about a black man who was on trial. And you're innocent.’ It was just really weird that was his favourite film even before these allegations happened." On June 13, 2005, Michael Jackson was found not guilty on all charges brought against him two years before. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was instantly successful and has become a classic of modern American literature. The film, baring the same name, is released two years later in December and is an American drama adaptation of the novel. It stars Mary Badham in the role of Scout and Gregory Peck (one of Michael Jackson’s good friends) in the role of Atticus Finch. The film's young protagonists, Scout (played by Mary Badham) and her brother, Jem (Phillip Alford), live in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the 1930’s. The story covers three years, during which Scout and Jem undergo changes in their lives. They begin as innocent children, who spend their days happily playing games with each other and spying on the town bogeyman (played by Robert Duvall). Through their father's (Gregory Peck) work as a lawyer, they begin to learn of the racism and evil prevalent in their town, and painfully mature as they are exposed to it. Tom Robinson (an African-American man accused of raping Mayella Ewell), is convicted, even though all evidence points to his innocence. Atticus says during Robinson’s trial that "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird". It is no wonder why Jackson would identify himself with Robinson and his story, which now reverberates even stronger and more eerie after the singer’s passing. A mockingbird represents innocence and the title of the book and film signifies killing innocence. In reference to this quality which many adults have forsaken, Michael Jackson confesses to the reader through his poem, “Magical Child” from his 1992 book, “Dancing The Dream”, that his “power of innocence, of compassion, of light / Threatened the priests and created a fright, / In endless ways they sought to dismantle / This mysterious force which they could not handle. / […] And while they whispered and conspired / Through endless rumors to get him tired, / To kill his wonder, trample him near, / Burn his courage, fuel his fear, / The child remained just simple, sincere […]”, and continues to write how “With cruel darts they tried to plunder, / To suffocate and strangle his innocent wonder” in his other poem-sequel, “Magical Child II”.
“The Elephant Man” - 1980 *trivia*
In 1986, it was reported (a then 27 year-old) Michael Jackson had contacted the Royal London Hospital in an attempt to secure the remains of Joseph Merrick, a.k.a. The Elephant Man, for 1 million dollars, a rumor the entertainer would refute during being interviewed by Oprah in 1993. He notes: "I love the story of the Elephant man. He reminds me of me a lot, and I could relate to it. It made me cry, because I saw myself in the story, but no, I never asked for the....where am I going to put some bones?" In his 1988 video for “Leave Me Alone”, directed against rumors he dispelled as false, Jackson appears at one point dancing with the bones of Merrick, laughing off the said story about him wishing to purchase his bones. In her controversial 1991 autobiography, “La Toya: Growing Up In The Jackson Family”, sister La Toya Jackson supports her brother’s deep interest in unjustly treated creatures: “In the course of reading his medical books, Michael developed a fascination with freaks of nature. He devoured information about every conceivable condition and could talk for hours about the lives of Siamese twins, the famed Alligator Man, and other sideshow celebrities. Because of his interest in these poor creatures, the press has gleefully depicted Michael as some sort of morbid creep. But as with so many facets of my brother’s personality, all I can say is, if you knew him like I do, you’d see that it’s not macabre at all. […] The sight of a starving African child on TV moves him to tears. He was overcome with sympathy for freaks such as the Elephant Man, crying no matter how many times he sees David Lynch’s film about John Merrick. “Imagine what life was like for them”, he’d say sadly. “How hard it must have been to be stared at wherever they went, taunted, and to be considered so different from normal people, even though they probably had the same feelings…” […] I get angry when Michael’s curiosity in this field is made fun of. It’s not out of mockery that he takes an interest, but caring.”
Below is a summary of “The Elephant Man”’s emotional and compelling story. It is no wonder why Jackson could relate to it significantly, having been mercilessly teased and mocked about his appearance both as a child and as an adult, when he developed the milk-white skin condition, Vitiligo.
“Pinocchio 3000”
Dieter Weisner, Michael Jackson’s former manager, reveals in an exclusive interview with MJKlub Portal (the former JacksonVillage) in October, 2010, that his former boss planned a project, called “Pinocchio 3000” (in 2002 or 2003) one of the many unfinished projects the entertainer had worked on. “I had a conversation with Michael about this”, Weisner says, whie putting on a taped dialogue he had carried with Jackson. Weisner then expresses his agreement with Jackson's affirmation, then declares: “After this conversation, I contacted Michel Lemire – he is the Deputy General Manager of Cine-Group. He confirmed to me in an email that he and his General Manager were at Neverland and negotiated with Michael. Even the signing of the contract had been confirmed. I spent my time with Michael in Montreal.” He continues: “Our General Manager, Jacques Pettigrew, flew to California where he spent time with Michael and his family. Michael was mainly interested in materializing 3D projects. Hollywood lost its glamour for him and he rather would love to work with people, who cared more about quality than dollars. Afterwards there surfaced those new (and final) allegations against Michael. The projects were in the range of family entertainment and so the climate changed there understandably. Michael left his ranch as we all know and he was located in Bahrain for a certain (period of) time.”

Thesilencedtruth.com
 
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