EXCLUSIVE: Leaving Neverland 2, the followup to the explosive Emmy-winning Michael Jackson documentary, is set to premiere on YouTube in the U.S. and Canada.
Little Dot Studios, the All3Media-owned digital content studio, has acquired the rights to stream director Dan Reed‘s sequel film on Real Stories, its premium documentary channel on YouTube.
Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson, which follows Wade Robson and James Safechuck after they accused the King of Pop of sexual assault, will premiere shortly after the film has debuted in the UK on Channel 4 on March 18.
It captures the attempt by Safechuck and Robson to seek justice for what happened when they were minors. The hour-long film will detail the personal toll of going public with their accusations and the backlash from Jackson’s global army of fans.
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Little Dot Studios has taken the rights after HBO declined to co-produce Leaving Neverland 2 following the Warner Bros. Discovery network’s investment in the original documentary.
HBO is not involved in the second installment after a legal battle with the Jackson estate. U.S. courts ruled that Leaving Neverland constituted a breach of a non-disparagement clause in a 1992 contract for an HBO concert special on Jackson’s Dangerous tour.
Reed, who produced Leaving Neverland 2 through his Amos Pictures outfit, said: “Premiering this film on YouTube is about breaking down barriers to access. Traditional platforms can only reach so many people, but YouTube offers an opportunity for this story to be seen by audiences on their own terms as it’s freely available.”
Paul Woolf, head of unscripted development and executive editor of documentary, nature, and scripted channels at Little Dot Studios, added: “Leaving Neverland 2 is a powerful and significant film that deserves to be seen by both traditional documentary audiences and the growing community of viewers on Real Stories.”
Leaving Neverland 2 will be available on Real Stories, which has 6.5M subscribers, in English-speaking Canada. Sphere Abacus is handling international sales. Marguerite Gaudin is the producer, while Peter Haddon and Ben Hills served as editors. Iris Maor was head of production. Adam Vandermark is the Channel 4 commissioner.
Real Stories has previously premiered Trapped: Cash Bail in America by Garrett Hubbard, and Into Dust, the first scripted film by Orlando von Einsiedel. It has also hosted docs from Nick Broomfield, Alex Gibney, and Kim Longinotto.
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