Michael Jackson film set for October release

The Michael Jackson estate and Sony Pictures Entertainment announced today that This Is It, a film comprised of rehearsal and behind-the-scenes footage of Jackson preparing for his 50-concert run at London’s O2 Arena, would be released in movie theatres on October 30. As Rock Daily reported last week, the two sides struck a deal to release the footage, and were only awaiting the approval of a judge overseeing the Jackson estate case.

The film will be directed by Kenny Ortega of High School Musical fame. His job will consist primarily of honing the footage into a movie in just two months.

“The world will see what our team was so fortunate to experience, which was the full commitment, passion and creativity that Michael put into the project,” Ortega said in a statement.

The Los Angeles Times reported that along with the rehearsal and behind-the-scenes footage, Sony obtained the rights to include some 3-D sequences that were going to be shown on video screens during the This Is It concerts. The movie will feature a career retrospective and interviews with friends and collaborators.

Meanwhile it has emerged that Michael Jackson’s burial took place six weeks after the star’s demise but the burial site is being kept a closely guarded secret. As expected, he’s been buried at the Hollywood Hills cemetery, but the family is keeping the location under wraps because they don’t want fans descending on it. According to a source quoted by the Mirror, “the fear is that thousands of Jackson fans will descend on the cemetery and create a security issue or maybe even damage or deface the grave.”

Source: Instep Today