Michael Jackson Estate to Produce Animated, Musical Halloween Special
The Michael Jackson estate announced it partnered with CBS to produce an hour-long animated Halloween special set to air this fall, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Jackson’s music will soundtrack the story of a young duo named Vincent and Victoria who “accidentally” meet on Halloween night. Alongside a dog named Ichabod, Vincent and Victoria wind up at 777 Jackson Street at the mysterious – and aptly named – This Place Hotel (a reference to the Jackson’s 1980 song of the same name). Inside the This Place Hotel, Victoria, Vincent and Ichabod embark on a journey that ends with a dance finale featuring an animated Michael Jackson.
The special will star MacGyver‘s Lucas Till as Vincent and Kiersey Clemons (Transparent, the upcoming The Flash movie) as Victoria. An array of CBS talent also signed on including Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory), Lucy Liu (Elementary), Christine Baranski (The Good Wife, The Good Fight), Alan Cumming (The Good Wife), George Eads (CSI) and Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond).
Since Jackson’s death in 2009, his estate has produced a handful of projects, though they’ve primarily been documentaries and archival releases. Among the most prominent posthumous Jackson releases include Spike Lee’s 2016 film, Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall, and the 2009 film, This Is It, which featured footage from Jackson’s final tour rehearsals before his death. The Jackson estate has also released two posthumous albums, 2010’s Michael and 2014’s Xscape.
In May, the Jackson estate suggested it was developing more Jackson-related movie content in a statement in which they refused to sanction two projects. One was Lifetime’s new biopic about Jackson’s final days, Searching for Neverland, while the other was the stop-motion animated film, Bubbles, which examines parts of Jackson’s life from the perspective of his pet chimpanzee.
The executors of Jackson’s estate said they had “numerous projects in development, all of which respect, honor and celebrate Michael’s life and legacy along with his extraordinary artistry that touched fans throughout the world … When the executors are ready to announce them, they will. As Michael said countless times about his own work, the quality goes in before the name goes on.”