When the material first came within the public sphere in 2009, the documentary was called 'Brooklyn Loves MJ'. At that time, Spike Lee was trying to put together his funding and fans were still struggling to recover from Michael Jackson's death.
Years later and with funding intact, the story has been renamed to 'Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to 'Off the Wall'' and will include rare footages and interviews focused on Michael's road toward becoming the King of Pop.
This is not the first film that Spike Lee developed from Michael's music and life. Lee's work on the widely lauded 'Bad 25' was followed by their collaboration on Michael Jackson's short film for the song 'They Don't Care About Us'.
From Lee's recollections, when Michael Jackson gave him a call to bring him in for this project Lee did not really realise whom he had on the other end of the line and so hung up on his caller three times. When the comedy of error was sorted out, Lee and MJ arranged to meet at Lee's old home in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Jackson in fact wanted to ask Lee to help create a short film based on a song from his then-upcoming album HIStory, an Epic Records released in 1995.
They took a look at the selections from the album and Lee said he thought 'Stranger in Moscow' was a good choice to work on. MJ's response, however, was: "No, no, no, you're not doing that one!" Instead, he put forth that he had hoped Lee would want to work with what eventually became US Billboard Hot 100 chart hit 'They Don't Care About Us'.
Lee and MJ travelled to Brazil where Lee suggested the inclusion of the Olodum drum team in the film production. Lee says: "Usually artists do not want you to touch the track."
MJ liked the idea, which created a sort of magical effect to the music where people continued dancing even after the song had long ended.
Of the creative control MJ and Lee willingly shared with each other, Lee says: "Michael was a great artist to collaborate with, because usually when the song ends the video ends." Yet in this experience, which Lee says is one of the best directorial experiences in film, the film carried on even after the song ended.
Certainly 'Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to 'Off the Wall'' is something to look forward to in the premieres at this year's Sundance Film Festival. If Spike Lee's highly exceptional work in both Kobe Bryant and Mike Tyson documentaries as well as on Hurricane Katrina and in the Broadway production 'Passing Strange' are to be basis, then this MJ special might very well be gold.
