Michael Jackson estate thrills to biopic
Estate has approached Reitman and Pollock's Montecito Picture Company
By Jeff Sneider
Michael Jackson's estate wants to be starting something in Hollywood: a King of Pop biopic.
With Dr. Conrad Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial now over, John Branca, the executor of the Jackson estate, has approached Ivan Reitman and Tom Pollock's Montecito Picture Company about the possibility of producing and financing a Jackson biopic. Project would only cover certain periods of the late singer's life.
Pollock confirmed that the two sides are engaged in early talks but cautioned that there is no deal in place.
A spokesman for Jackson's estate had no comment.
The estate is currently focused on Cirque du Soleil's "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour," so there is no rush to get the movie into production. However, the fact that the estate is keen to pay tribute to Michael on the bigscreen should have Hollywood agents salivating, as it could be a plum part for an actor. Music-themed biopics "Ray" and "Walk the Line" have provided Oscar-winning roles for Jamie Foxx and Reese Witherspoon, respectively.
Should Montecito close a deal to make the movie, a Jackson biopic would showcase a different style of material than the company is known for.
The shingle launched in 2000 with Todd Phillips' debut feature "Road Trip" and went on to produce successful comedies including Phillips' "Old School" and John Hamburg's "I Love You, Man." In recent years, Montecito has focused on higher-brow fare such as Jason Reitman's "Up in the Air" and Atom Egoyan's "Chloe."
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118046177
Der Estate hat mit Hollywood Kontakt aufgenommen (Reitman and Pollock's Montecito Picture Company) wegen der Produktion und Finanzierung einer MJ-Biopic. Pollok bestätigt, dass man über so ein Prokekt spricht, dass bisher aber noch kein "deal" in Sicht ist. Der Estate gibt bisher keinen Kommentar dazu.