Public records from Santa Barbara County has revealed details on the Michael Jackson Biopic’s filming at Neverland Ranch.
Don’t get too excited as it doesn’t give anything away but at MJVibe we like facts and geeky stuff!
The filming was allowed on the Ranch from April 15 to May 1 from 6am to midnight daily and listed activities such as “dialogue, petting zoo, stunt.”
The adjacent Figueroa Mountain Road was also listed on the permit for “daylight hours” filming from April 25 through April 28, with shooting that includes the use of helicopters.
The total personnel listed on the permit for participation in the shoot during that duration is 310, with special effects that include “atmospheric smoke.”
Meanwhile, Nia Long, who is playing Katherine Jackson, was at the 2024 American Black Film Festival and spoke about her role in the biopic:
“When you are a creative person, the work that you do is a reflection of who you are in that moment. I think the thing that I love most about my career is there is a core authenticity that is unwavering that follows every woman that I play, and that is very intentional,”
“I’m playing Katherine Jackson. I was scared to death. I was so scared. But, I knew that God put me in that …gave me that opportunity because he thought I was ready, right? Because think about her journey and what she’s been through being Michael Jackson‘s mother. And I started to think about it and I was like ‘Wow, we do have things in common.’”
“I just kind of put my fears to the side and I just prayed a lot and said ‘God let me be the version of this character that you want me to be.’ I was able to tap into some of my own experiences. I was able to tap into the idea of loving your children so deeply that it just doesn’t matter what the world is saying about them.”
“Next April will be the opening of the Michael Jackson film, which is going to be pretty fantastic and amazing,”
“It had always been my dream to work with Antoine Fuqua because I think he’s one of the most prolific directors of our time, and Graham King who is the producer and so passionate about the project that I was sold in five minutes. I’m really excited and blessed to be a part of something that is gonna be pretty important.”
The advantage of been a fan since the 80’s is that we’ve seen so many dodgy knockoffs that your instincts are alert to something not been right. I’ve seen things on eBay that just don’t look right. If you’re not sure leave it alone or question the price. So many reprints now you have to be careful. Trust your instinct. Ask is it too new looking or too cheap.