Michael Jackson Chimp Script 'Bubbles' Tops Black List

mkgenie

Proud Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2011
Messages
1,944
Points
63
http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6812694/black-list-michael-jackson-chimp-script-bubbles


The 2015 Black List, a collection of Hollywood's best unproduced screenplays, was announced Monday through Twitter.


This year's list, which featured 81 scripts, was revealed via YouTube videos featuring famous writers, directors and actors starting at 9 a.m. PT Monday. Among the participants was Channing Tatum, Damon Lindelof, Danny Strong, Nick Hoult, Lily James and Ryan Coogler.


Selma director Ava DuVernay kicked it off with the first script: An African Western by Ridgeway Wilson and Chloe Castellón.


Bubbles, by Isaac Adamson, topped the list with 44 votes. It centers on a baby chimp that’s adopted by Michael Jackson.


Three of the last seven Academy Awards for best picture went to scripts featured on previous Black Lists, as well as eight of the last 16 screenwriting Oscars. Among this year’s awards-season contenders previously featured on the list in some form include The Revenant and Spotlight.


Established in 2005 as an annual survey of several dozen executives' favorite unproduced screenplays, the Black List has grown to survey more than 500 execs each year.


Below is the complete list, by number of votes:


BUBBLES by Isaac Adamson — 44
A baby chimp is adopted by pop star Michael Jackson. Narrating his own story, Bubbles the Chimp details his life within The King of Pop’s inner circle through the scandals that later rocked Jackson’s life and eventually led to Bubbles’ release.
 
This script idea is absurd-everyone should have just thrown it in the trash.

Instead it makes all the news outlets. :(
 
This script idea is absurd-everyone should have just thrown it in the trash.

Instead it makes all the news outlets. :(

I shudder to think what other dumb ideas for a script someone will cook up. Maybe a movie from his snake's perspective? "Muscles' Memories"... *sigh*
 
This would make an awesome movie.
A pop stars world through the (comedic?) eyes of a chimp.
 
This would make an awesome movie.
A pop stars world through the (comedic?) eyes of a chimp.
Sure, if it was written or done right like the humor in Moonwalker where Bubbles is supposedly wearing a Prince t-shirt.
But it most likely won't be.
 
I can't think of any reason anyone would want to see this bizarre movie. I'm surprised it's real.
 
The script is available to read online.

While Bubbles' thoughts are somewhat amusing at times and very well written at others, the portrayal of all characters (minus Bubbles) are caricatures.

I believe the author is attempting to show his skill at screenwriting. I do not believe his wish is for this to truly be a film. He shows commitment to his lead character and has made the lead likable which is difficult considering the lead is a chimpanzee. Bubbles attempting to perfect his moonwalk to impress Michael while Michael sleeps night after night is an example.

If he truly prefers this to be a film, which I doubt, animation would be the best choice.
 
^^Its online? Guess I shouldn't be surprised.
Caricatures aren't surprising either. It's like this "road trip" play. You know that with 3 bigger than life personalities, they can't help but become caricatures in that play.
 
Enjoy! Tis a very well written script and Bubbles is a fully-fleshed and extremely entertaining lead.
OK, I just have to ask, Tygger. Were you being sarcastic when you wrote this?
Based on your review of Latoya's first book, I read that a year or so ago and really enjoyed it.

But this? I got about as far as to the part where Michael is rubbing Porcelana in his face (?) and have yet to see anything of merit in this script. I thought it might be black comedy but it's not funny.

Maybe the line where Joe says Bubbles should have been wearing a diaper was a little amusing, but that's it. Bubbles has done nothing interesting except pee all over their dining room table.

Did I stop reading too early or were you just joking?
 
Barbee0715, glad to hear you enjoyed Latoya's first book. I enjoyed it as well!

With this script, every character minus Bubbles is a caraciture as I said in my very brief review. All the Jacksons are portrayed as the media preferred the public believe them to be. You will not find much sympathy for Michael's character in particular as you saw with the skin cream scenes. You will find the same if you continue.

The lead is Bubbles and in that the author does excel. As Bubbles grows and experiences much more of the world through Michael, Bubbles thoughts about his place in the world and with his master/king Michael grows as well. I found that to be intriguing and very well done.

You may not continue but Bubbles thoughts/actions when meeting Bon Jovi was quite entertaining. There, a chimpanzee deals with peer pressure. Bubbles thoughts become increasingly dark as Michael's life evolves when they move to Neverland.
 
I found the thread.

Tygger;4126060 said:
Bubbles attempting to perfect his moonwalk to impress Michael while Michael sleeps night after night is an example.


MJ-s-pet-chimp-Bubbles-Jackson-moonwalking-michael-jackson-30869898-250-183.gif


Bubbles was born in a Texas biomedical laboratory, but taken from his mother and sold to a Hollywood trainer while still an infant. He was purchased for Michael Jackson and soon gained fame as Jackson's pet chimpanzee. He appeared in television shows, movies, and music videos before he was “retired” at age 6 or 7. When Bubbles was only 4 years old, he toured Japan in a promotional tour with Michael Jackson. But, as he grew too strong to be around people, he lived most of his life at the trainer’s California animal compound in the company of an older chimpanzee named Sam. Both Bubbles and Sam arrived at the Center for Great Apes in March 2005 with a large group of chimpanzees, all from the entertainment world.

Michael Jackson bought at least two more pet chimpanzees after Bubbles was retired, and their names were Max and Action Jackson (A.J.), but the public thought that he still had the original “infant Bubbles” for those additional years. There are a number of photos of Michael with one of the other later chimpanzees, but all titled “Bubbles”. The names of those other chimpanzees were not made public, and one was eventually sold to a zoo in Korea and the other sent to a breeding farm in Kansas. However, Michael always maintained ownership of Bubbles as he was his first and favorite chimpanzee, and he considered him as his son. However, Michael did not include Bubbles in his will as some erroneous news stories have claimed, and the Center still must raise funds from our supporters to provide care for Bubbles.

As a 185-pound adult male, and about 4 ½ feet tall, Bubbles now is the dominant male in a group of chimpanzees at the sanctuary including his best friend Ripley, the adult females Oopsie, Boma, Jessie, and Kodua, and the juvenile Stryker.



Bubbles was born in 1983

Bubbles does not like cameras. Even when his caregivers try to take a photo, he will turn his back if he sees a camera. He occasionally will spit water people when annoyed about cameras and is able to throw sand with amazing accuracy. However, he is extremely gentle with the youngsters, especially Stryker. In fact, when Stryker was a baby, he could often be seen riding around on Bubbles’ back.

Bubbles can be sensitive and dramatic. If he has any kind of cut or scratch on his body…no matter how small… he will show it many times during the day to his caregivers and ask for sympathy.
http://www.centerforgreatapes.org/meet-apes/chimpanzees/bubbles/
 
This chimp knew a lot about Michael Jackson...
Sam BlumMarch 19, 2016
SHARETWEETSHARE

main-michael-jackson-disco-playlist.jpg

Jim McCrary / Getty Images
When you're Michael Jackson—the most heralded pop-music icon in history—anything about your life is fair subject matter for a film, including your precious pet chimpanzee, Bubbles: According to Deadline, a script about MJ's relationship with the chimp has been purchased, and probably for a very large sum of money.

Named Bubbles after the famous primate in question, the script was co-purchased by producer Andrew Kortschak and End Cue—a film production company. Veteran TV-writer Dan Harmon—who created NBC's Community—is slated to produce the film, which will eventually take the form of a stop-motion animated feature, because chimps are artsy.

Bubbles was written by the author Isaac Adamson, and offers the only perspective of Michael Jackson's career as seen through the eyes of an adopted chimpanzee. Apparently, it's a winner though: The script topped the Hollywood Black List last year, which is an annual list of un-produced scripts, or free-agents of the movie-world, if you will.

Deadline also notes that the actual Bubbles moved to Jackson's Neverland Ranch in 1983, but was later moved to a monkey sanctuary in Florida after becoming a naughty ape in his twilight years.

Here's the link to Fuse's article on the website.
http://www.fuse.tv/2016/03/michael-jackson-pet-chimpanzee-bubbles-script-film-optioned


Tbh I can't help but think this movie will just be another case of shade being thrown at MJ to try and make people think bad about him.
 
Last edited:
Re: Film about Michael Jackson's pet chimp to be produced.

^^Generally when you post an articles in the news section, you copy and paste the article into the first post :)

I read this online earlier and it seems to have gotten a pretty good response. You can read the script here under "Bubbles": https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BybNvm-CX6dkSEVxWG83dHlzanc&usp=sharing#list (not my link, found it on Reddit).

I haven't read it and I don't have time to, but it's part of the "Black list" for 2015, which is essentially a list of the "most liked" motion picture screenplays that are yet to be produced. Nearly a third of those featured on the list have been made successfully into feature films including Argo, American Hustle, Juno, The King's Speech, Slumdog Millionaire, Spotlight and the Revenant to name a few.

TBH I'm not against the film (I haven't read the script or seen it, so I can't judge) but I'm interested to see how it turns out.
 
Re: Film about Michael Jackson's pet chimp to be produced.

This could be interesting.
 
Princess nishea;4141621 said:
This chimp knew a lot about Michael Jackson...
Sam BlumMarch 19, 2016
SHARETWEETSHARE

main-michael-jackson-disco-playlist.jpg

Jim McCrary / Getty Images
When you're Michael Jackson—the most heralded pop-music icon in history—anything about your life is fair subject matter for a film, including your precious pet chimpanzee, Bubbles: According to Deadline, a script about MJ's relationship with the chimp has been purchased, and probably for a very large sum of money.

Named Bubbles after the famous primate in question, the script was co-purchased by producer Andrew Kortschak and End Cue—a film production company. Veteran TV-writer Dan Harmon—who created NBC's Community—is slated to produce the film, which will eventually take the form of a stop-motion animated feature, because chimps are artsy.

Bubbles was written by the author Isaac Adamson, and offers the only perspective of Michael Jackson's career as seen through the eyes of an adopted chimpanzee. Apparently, it's a winner though: The script topped the Hollywood Black List last year, which is an annual list of un-produced scripts, or free-agents of the movie-world, if you will.

Deadline also notes that the actual Bubbles moved to Jackson's Neverland Ranch in 1983, but was later moved to a monkey sanctuary in Florida after becoming a naughty ape in his twilight years.

Here's the link to Fuse's article on the website.
http://www.fuse.tv/2016/03/michael-jackson-pet-chimpanzee-bubbles-script-film-optioned


Tbh I can't help but think this movie will just be another case of shade being thrown at MJ to try and make people think bad about him.
I certainly understand the suspicion of your last line. You know, when i saw the title of this thread, I had to laugh. The words 'another money grab' easily entered my mind. But hey...I guess they're entitled.? I just know that when MJ was here, Hollywood was totally against him doing movies. Movies were one of his fondest wishes, in his latter years. Edgar Allen Poe movies, and so forth. Now, they just wanna capitalize, now that he's gone. So my attitude is...whatever. What else is new?
 
Last edited:
Re: Film about Michael Jackson's pet chimp to be produced.

I too think this movie will throw shade at mj and i hate the idea of this being done in the first place.
 
Just reading the script. Oh - my - God.

DR. KLEIN (CONT’D) Amazing. You are my most beautiful work of art, you know that? My Michelangelo.
He releases Michael’s face.
DR. KLEIN (CONT’D) So what can I do for you? You need some more skin lightener? Some
MICHAEL I wanted to ask about Bubbles.
Dr. Klein looks at Bubbles for the first time.
DR. KLEIN Hmm. I suppose he could use some collagen around the eyes.
No, nothing like that. I want him to be able to speak. So he can share his thoughts and his feelings. I’ve read a lot about primates. They’re very smart.
MICHAEL
(MORE)
MICHAEL (CONT'D) They just don’t have the same kind of vocal cords we do and that’s why they can’t talk or sing. But what if Bubbles had human vocal cords put in him? Can they do that?

Please kill me now.
 
If you go back, you can see where I tried to read the script because another member thought it was well written and amusing.
I quit reading it. It's trash and the entire Jackson family are
caricatures.
This Klein scene is even worse than what I read already.

I really can't believe that somebody intelligent enough to make an Academy award winning film would even think about buying this trashy script.
 
I think people are just hoping to sell trash by attaching MJ's name to it.

How many times can the media tell the same old tired MJ "jokes"? Doesn't the bullying of this man get boring after all these decades?
 
Tygger;4127049 said:
I found the thread.




MJ-s-pet-chimp-Bubbles-Jackson-moonwalking-michael-jackson-30869898-250-183.gif


Bubbles was born in a Texas biomedical laboratory, but taken from his mother and sold to a Hollywood trainer while still an infant. He was purchased for Michael Jackson and soon gained fame as Jackson's pet chimpanzee. He appeared in television shows, movies, and music videos before he was “retired” at age 6 or 7. When Bubbles was only 4 years old, he toured Japan in a promotional tour with Michael Jackson. But, as he grew too strong to be around people, he lived most of his life at the trainer’s California animal compound in the company of an older chimpanzee named Sam. Both Bubbles and Sam arrived at the Center for Great Apes in March 2005 with a large group of chimpanzees, all from the entertainment world.

Michael Jackson bought at least two more pet chimpanzees after Bubbles was retired, and their names were Max and Action Jackson (A.J.), but the public thought that he still had the original “infant Bubbles” for those additional years. There are a number of photos of Michael with one of the other later chimpanzees, but all titled “Bubbles”. The names of those other chimpanzees were not made public, and one was eventually sold to a zoo in Korea and the other sent to a breeding farm in Kansas. However, Michael always maintained ownership of Bubbles as he was his first and favorite chimpanzee, and he considered him as his son. However, Michael did not include Bubbles in his will as some erroneous news stories have claimed, and the Center still must raise funds from our supporters to provide care for Bubbles.

As a 185-pound adult male, and about 4 ½ feet tall, Bubbles now is the dominant male in a group of chimpanzees at the sanctuary including his best friend Ripley, the adult females Oopsie, Boma, Jessie, and Kodua, and the juvenile Stryker.



Bubbles was born in 1983

Bubbles does not like cameras. Even when his caregivers try to take a photo, he will turn his back if he sees a camera. He occasionally will spit water people when annoyed about cameras and is able to throw sand with amazing accuracy. However, he is extremely gentle with the youngsters, especially Stryker. In fact, when Stryker was a baby, he could often be seen riding around on Bubbles’ back.

Bubbles can be sensitive and dramatic. If he has any kind of cut or scratch on his body…no matter how small… he will show it many times during the day to his caregivers and ask for sympathy.
http://www.centerforgreatapes.org/meet-apes/chimpanzees/bubbles/

What?! Poor chimps... :cry:
 
Well, I read six or so articles today about the Bubbles movie, and interestingly, they all say something about this is a "get around" to get an unauthorized Michael Jackson biography on the big screen without having to ask permission. One article even said that the Estate has effectively shut down each and every effort to make a biopic. ?? Did not know that, but good for them.
I hope they can figure out a way to get this one shut down too.

Dan Harmon to Produce a Stop-Motion Animated Movie About Michael Jackson’s Chimpanzee Bubbles

BY MEGH WRIGHT MARCH 18, 2016


bubbles_jackson-325x244.jpg
Michael Jackson’s famed chimp pet Bubbles is getting the movie treatment with some help from Dan Harmon. According toDeadline, Harmon and Starburns Industries have signed on to produce a stop-motion movie called Bubbles based on a script by Isaac Adamson. Here’s more on the project from Deadline:
Bubbles tells the story of Michael Jackson’s life and history from the perspective of the pet Chimp which got a close up view after being adopted by Jackson from an Austin, Texas research facility and took up residence at the Neverland Ranch in 1983. He became Jackson’s constant companion until he became overaggressive and was moved to a monkey sanctuary in Florida.
Harmon already has some experience producing stop-motion films having been an executive producer on 2015’s Anomalisa. Bubbles topped 2015’s Black List scripts and is described as “a very inventive way to tell an unauthorized story of Jackson without needing permission.”



http://splitsider.com/2016/03/dan-h...ie-about-michael-jacksons-chimpanzee-bubbles/
 
Basically this looks like a way to get out there a totally tabloid "biopic" on MJ. This Bubbles vocal chords story comes from tabloids. It was originally published in the News of The World: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/en...mp-bubbles-speak/story-e6frewyr-1225890456746

So it looks like it will be full of tabloid crap.


ETA: Okay, I looked at it, googled "Jordan" in it just to see what's in there regarding the allegations. Does not seem to definitely say that MJ molested Jordan but there is some predictable innuendo, eg. "MJ couldn't take off his eyes Jordan" when they first met at Schwartz's car rental company. Totally Evan's narrative.

All in all, it sounded like a pretty idiotic script to me.

It's also factually inaccurate. Eg. it has Johnnie Cochran negotiate with Evan and Rothman at the West Marquis Hotel when Cochran came into the picture only months later. And Rothman wasnt there either. I just spent 5 minutes reading it, I am sure there are many more inaccuracies like that.

I think the scriptwriter read some stuff - maybe Evan's book, or just websites that are available on the Internet - because he mentions some details, eg. he mentions Evan being the dentist of Carrie Fisher. I think that's only in Evan's book and Fisher's book. But I would think he would rather read Evan's book while making this. Or maybe just websites.

But then, like I said he totally misrepresents some other stuff - even compared to Evan's book.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top