Ok, so I listened to the latest MJcast episode and wanted to share what Taj said about his docuseries:
They asked him some pointed questions, specifically, how many interviews he has done for the docuseries so far. He said he could answer that, but would rather not because of the impression it would give about his progress, implying, to me, that he hasn't completed too many yet. However, he followed this up by saying that what is unique about his docuseries is that rather than the narrative being built around interviews with people who knew Michael, he is building the narrative using archival footage instead, with the interviews supplementing and supporting that narrative. This is the first time I've heard him actually talk about the narrative structure of the project and, honestly, I kind of love what he said. I would much rather see archival footage of Michael that tells the story of who he was, plus I imagine he has enormous access to footage and I think a narrative structured in such a way could really be beautiful. As Taj explained, he thinks the best way to show people who Michael truly was is to actually show Michael to them. He also mentioned that Charles Thompson is a member of the team working on this documentary and implied that he is playing a crucial role in helping to structure the narrative effectively. I found this especially interesting because earlier in the episode they discussed the Thriller 40 documentary, which Charles T had a fair amount of criticism about specifically in terms of narrative structure (or lacktherof). Either way, an interesting update that has me kind of excited.
They also asked Taj what his thoughts are on fans who are in doubt about his plans to complete this or who believe it won't happen. They named some specific prominent fans and quoted some of what they have said about Taj. Taj's response really wasn't all that defensive. He expressed that he genuinely can understand why people feel that way, especially if they donated, but he really hopes that when the docuseries comes out and achieves everything he said it would, that those fans will help promote it. He also said he knows he sounds like a broken record by saying that it is coming, and he realizes how frustrating that might be, but that he is extremely tight-lipped on saying anything about the progress in order to protect the integrity of the project. I can't help but wonder if there are possibly some legal components to this as well, especially if the estate is involved in some way after all (though I have nothing in mind when I say this).
Finally, Taj talked about how constructing the team for this project was very time-consuming with a significant vetting process because it was obviously important to him that everyone on the team supports Michael and believes in his innocence. However, he also stressed the importance of getting the best possible people involved in terms of talent. He said several times that he thinks the quality of the project will far exceed anyone's expectations. As a writer/creator myself, I can honestly say I would never promise that level of quality if I wasn't extremely confident in what I was doing. So I'm inclined to believe him, but who knows.
He opened and closed his update with a mention of how important it is to him that this is released in 2023. My guess at this point is that we are looking at late 2023. I actually think it would be amazing if he timed it for an October/Halloween release. I suppose we will see.
I think that is all! I hope this saves those with interest some time. I do like quite a lot about the MJ Cast, but I also find them a little grating at times. Parts of the episode as a whole annoyed me, but Taj's bits were quite interesting and I appreciated his perspective on things like the Victory Tour, the possible museum and casino in the works, etc. So if it interests you, check it out! It is the Christmas Special and it just came out a few days ago.