LOS ANGELES – If there was one place the new Michael Jackson biopic was sure to be warmly received, it was Gary, Indiana. The pop superstar grew up there with his famous siblings. Their home in the city, referenced in the 1989 The Jacksons track “2300 Jackson Street,” is now a tourist attraction. And on one night last week, the city’s only high school was the venue for a homecoming for members of the Jackson family, who trekked there for a screening of the new film “Michael,” about its most famous former resident and starring his nephew, Jaafar.  Several of Michael Jackson’s brothers, the singer’s eldest son Prince and one of the film’s producers Graham King attended, in addition to the film’s star.  The city’s mayor, Eddie D. Melton, moderated a panel during which they discussed the making of the film and the Jackson family legacy — but not all of it.  “I don’t think there’s a need to address the actual allegations,” Melton told CNN by phone the day after the event, referring to Jackson’s alleged sexual predation. The accusations surrounding child molestation and sexual abuse that Jackson faced in life and after his death have long divided his admirers. The movie is set to be similarly polarizing. As sure as his defenders will laud the new film, others will take issue with its approach to a complicated legacy. Such has been the unsolvable — and largely unwinnable — issue with looking back at the King of Pop’s life. For his part, Melton said he found the new film “phenomenal.”  Referring to Michael Jackson, he said: “I think we need to celebrate who he is in our hearts and our minds in this very moment in time. But also what he has contributed to the world. His music has changed lives.”  The Michael Jackson biopic, directed by Antoine Fuqua and featuring a cast that includes Colman Domingo and Nia Long, who play Jackson’s parents, is due to be released on April 24 after years of delays. The original version of the film addressed the 1993 case in which Jackson was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy, but required a massive overhaul after it was discovered that the approximately $25 million settlement that had been reached with his accuser and his family prevented the estate from making mention of the case in any type of film about Jackson, according to a report by Puck. Variety, who talked to sources with knowledge of similar projects, recently reported that the estate footed the bill for the reshoots, which cost between $10 million and $15 million. The estate had been involved with the production from the beginning and was reportedly aware of the original script. CNN has reached out to representatives for the estate.
Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50, maintained his innocence against all accusations of child molestation and other crimes, including the 2003 charges he faced of which he was later acquitted. The family had, in the past, made media appearances discussing their relationship to the singer, including a sit-down with Oprah Winfrey. Marty Singer, who is representing the Jackson estate, called the lawsuit a “desperate money grab” in a statement issued to People earlier this year.  In March, a motion brought by Jackson’s estate to move the case to arbitration was granted. Jackson’s life is not a simple story to bring to the stage or screen and many who have tried have struggled with how to handle the child abuse allegations.