Monday, July 20

Rehearsal footage to become 3D Big Screen Movie



Cigarettes: 4
Weight: 8stone
Prescribed drugs administered: 40mg diazepam 20mg seroxat
Colour of the day: Michael
How bad does it hurt on a scale of 1 to 10: 7

Well it looks like the rehearsal footage that was filmed days before his death (the stuff we haven't seen yet) will not simply be released on DVD and instead will take a movie format. Sad in a way; Michael was so eager to eventually get the ultimate movie launch.... but the right role simply never came across, not in his lifetime anyways.

Here's the press report on the movie:

The Michael Jackson Movie

"The swansong crafted from his This Is It concert rehearsal footage - has been picked up by Sony Pictures."

The feature, which will be taken from the 80 hours of footage shot, is expected to be helmed by High School Musical director Kenny Ortega who took the initiative to chronicle the star's preparations for his 50-date London stint and is currently free following untimely death of Jackson, who would have taken up his directive input through to the end of his This Is It concerts.

Sony are apparently looking at a $50 million bill for the worldwide rights to the rushes, paid to concert organisers AEG Entertainment who are hurriedly attempting to claw back their losses after the King Of Pop's untimely death last month. Sony pipped other interested studios to the post due to their ties with Sony Music Entertainment who own Jackson's music publishing rights, jointly with Jackson himself.

Also on the market from industrious AEG, is the footage from the MJ tribute concert which will feature sister Janet and Justin Timberlake, taking place on August 29. This would have been Michael's B-day! Not wanting to profit from his death? NOoooo!!!

The footage was originally meant for a behind-the-scenes movie of the gigs - and which will now be a way to cater for the grieving fans of the star - was tipped to be re-mastered in 3D. The film will also be interwoven with versions of Jackson's videos which were shot especially for airing at the concerts, including an update on the classic Thriller. Sources expect the film to hit the public domain before the end of the year.

Source: Google News, Empire Movie News (edited with some corrections by me)