Michael Jackson film to release October, 30 · 2009-08-11 14:02
Sony Pictures to produce Michael Jackson film. More than 80 hours of rehearsal and behind-the-scenes footage will be turned into a movie, set for release Oct. 30. The studio will share revenue with AEG Live, the producer of the canceled concerts.
Sony Pictures Entertainment received court approval to bring Michael Jackson to the big screen, and it set a release date on what just may be the toughest weekend of the year at the U.S. box office, Los Angeles Times reports.
The court's authorization, announced Monday in Probate Court by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff, allows them to edit more than 80 hours of rehearsal and behind-the-scenes footage into a movie.
The deal was negotiated last month by Sony Pictures and its sibling unit, Sony Music Entertainment, with the Michael Jackson Estate and AEG Live, producer of the late singer's planned London concert series.
The film, like the concerts, will be called "This Is It."
Although several studios expressed interest, Sony emerged the winner by agreeing to pay Jackson's estate and AEG Live at least $60 million for the film rights.
The film is a chance to "to give audiences the gift of his final performances," said Michael Lynton, chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Pictures Entertainment, in a statement released after the court's decision, TIME reports. "I know this film will serve as further proof that Michael Jackson is one of the greatest entertainers who ever graced a stage."
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