Documentary detailing alleged sexual abuse by singer will receive its world premiere at this year’s Sundance film festival

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Michael Jackson’s estate has condemned a new documentary film, Leaving Neverland, which features allegations that the singer sexually abused children.

Speaking to TMZ, representatives from the estate said the film was “another lurid production in an outrageous and pathetic attempt to exploit and cash in on Michael Jackson … just another rehash of dated and discredited allegations. It’s baffling why any credible film-maker would involve himself with this project.”

Leaving Neverland explores what a synopsis calls the “manipulation and abuse” of two unnamed men, from the ages of seven and 10 onwards. The film, directed by Dan Reed, who has won Baftas for documentaries including The Paedophile Hunter and Terror in Mumbai, is described as “a portrait of sustained exploitation and deception, documenting the power of celebrity that allowed a revered figure to infiltrate the lives of starstruck children and their parents”.

The four-hour film will receive its world premiere at the Sundance film festival in Utah on 25 January, and will air on Channel 4 later this spring.

Timeline Michael Jackson child sexual abuse claims Show Hide LAPD investigation After Jordan Chandler makes allegations during a police interview that Jackson has abused him, an investigation begins. Jackson had met the 12-year-old boy the previous year. Barnes and Robson press conference Teenagers Brett Barnes and Wade Robson hold a press conference stating that they had shared a bed with Jackson on multiple occasions, but that nothing sexual had happened. Chandlers sue Jackson A lawsuit from the Chandler family alleges sexual abuse by Jackson and seeks $30m. Jackson video statement Jackson describes being strip-searched and photographed by the LAPD two days earlier as “the most humiliating ordeal of my life”. He states: "I am not guilty of these allegations, but if I am guilty of anything it is of giving all that I have to give to help children all over the world.” Jackson settles lawsuit Jackson settles out of court with the Chandlers for $22m – $15m goes to Jordan Chandler to be held in a trust fund until he turns 18. LAPD investigation fails After two grand juries fail to indict, and Jordan Chandler tells authorities he will not testify in court, the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara district attorneys end their investigation. Scream released The lead single from Jackson’s album HIStory is released. A duet with his sister Janet, the song angrily addresses media coverage of the child sexual abuse allegations against him.

Bashir documentary Jackson discusses regularly having sleepovers with children, including a young cancer patient named Gavin Arvizo, in Living with Michael Jackson – a documentary fronted by the British journalist Martin Bashir. "It's not sexual," said Jackson on-screen. "We’re going to sleep. I tuck them in. It's very charming." The film rekindles police investigations. Police raid and arrest Jackson's Neverland estate is again searched by police, and a week later Jackson is arrested. Jackson charged Michael Jackson is formally charged with committing lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14. Trial begins During Jackson's trial, Arvizo and his younger brother testify that the singer showed them pornography and made them drink "Jesus juice" – wine. Both say Jackson masturbated in front of them and molested Arvizo on multiple occasions. Blanca Francia, one of Jackson's former housekeepers, testifies she saw Jackson showering with Wade Robson. Witnesses for the defence, including Macaulay Culkin and Robson, say that Jackson never molested them. Not guilty verdict The jury finds Jackson not guilty on all 14 charges brought against him. Jackson dies In the run-up to This Is It, a planned residency at London's O2 Arena, Jackson dies age 50 of a cardiac arrest. Wade Robson sues Wade Robson takes legal action against the Jackson estate, alleging that Michael Jackson molested him over a seven-year period between the ages of seven and 14. James Safechuck sues Safechuck alleges Jackson abused him on more than 100 occasions after the pair met when Safechuck appeared in a Pepsi commercial alongside the singer. Leaving Neverland Dan Reed's four-hour documentary Leaving Neverland opens at the Sundance film festival. In it Wade Robson and James Safechuck discuss at length the abuse they claim they suffered at Jackson's hands. It is described as "a public lynching" by Jackson's surviving family. Television screenings Leaving Neverland is shown on the HBO network in the US, with a UK screening on Channel 4 on 6 and 7 March. The Jackson estate sue HBO for $100m, claiming the network is in breach of a non-disparagement clause in a 1992 contract. Radio ban Radio stations around the world, including in New Zealand and Canada, begin to pull Jackson's music from the airwaves.

Numerous accusations of sexual abuse of children have previously been made against Jackson. In 1993, Jackson was accused of sexually molesting 13-year-old Jordan Chandler – he denied the claims, and later settled out of court for $23m. In 2005, a jury found Jackson not guilty of molesting Gavin Arvizo and related charges. Arvizo was aged 13 at the time of the alleged offence. In 2013 and 2014, after Jackson’s death in 2009, two further lawsuits were filed by Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who each alleged that Jackson had abused them in the early 1990s when they were children. Both cases were dismissed for being filed too long after the alleged incidents.