Since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, buzz has continued to build around HBO's new Michael Jackson documentary, "Finding Neverland," which focuses on Wade Robson and James Safechuck's allegations the late singer molested them in their youth.
Now, with the HBO air date just a few weeks away, Jackson's family is demanding a meeting with the network to discuss an investigation into the men's backgrounds.
In a 10-page letter sent to the network on Friday, Feb. 8, Howard Weitzman, the attorney representing Jackson's estate, slams HBO for making the "disgraceful" decision to air the doc, which Weitzman says is based on "lies" that can be proven by court filings inconsistencies in the story, according to Page Six.
Weitzman says no members of the Jackson family or anyone he knew were interviewed for the film. He also claims Robson previously attempted to get a job working on a King of Pop-themed Cirque du Soleil show and that his allegations of sexual abuse only surfaced after he lost out on the gig.
Robson, a child star who knew Jackson through his dance company, defended the singer in court during Jackson's 2005 child sexual abuse case, saying he had slept in Jackson's room but was not molested, according to Wikipedia. Weitzman raises that point, as well, going on to note that two years after Jackson's death in 2009, Robson asked the Jackson estate for a job working on an MJ-themed Cirque du Soleil show and was not hired. A year later, he alleged Jackson had molested him.
Weitzman also points out that both Robson and Safechuck tried to sue the estate after Jackson's death; both alwsuits were dismissed.
After the letter was released, HBO said in a statement that it planned to air the first part of the two-part documentary on March 3.
"Our plans remain unchanged. … Dan Reed is an award-winning filmmaker who has carefully documented these survivors' accounts. People should reserve judgment until they see the film," the statement read.
Reed has said he and his team are "very proud of" the fact that the film is "solely about hearing the stories of two specific individuals and their families in their own words," according to Page Six.
The letter concludes by saying ethical standards will have been violated if the network refuses to meet with representatives for the estate.
"We know that this will go down as the most shameful episode in HBO's history," Weitzman writes. "We know that Michael's devoted fans, and all good people in the world, will not swiftly forgive HBO for its conduct."