It feels like pop culture is overrun by two major themes these days: protracted periods of mourning for artists gone too soon and things that J.J. Abrams has done. It was only a matter of time before the two of them overlapped—and now they have, as it was announced that the king of Bad Robot is producing a Michael Jackson event series. Just add it to the laundry list of disparate projects Abrams has undertaken over the course of his career!
For the second time in as many years, Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions has announced they’ll work with author Tavis Smiley to adapt one of his books to the screen. Last year it was announced that Smiley’s Martin Luther King Jr. novel would be turned into a Bad Robot event series.
Smiley’s book, Before You Judge Me: The Triumph and Tragedy of Michael Jackson’s Last Days, has been described as a “taut novelistic rendering” of MJ’s life, per Entertainment Weekly. The novel—and presumably the upcoming event series—focuses on Jackson’s struggle with privacy and public perception late in his life. Warner Bros announced the collaboration earlier today, but no network has been attached to the project as of yet.
The adaptation was initially announced last September, though not with Abrams involved. As further testament to the fact that Abrams has definitely borrowed Hermione’s time turner, said announcement also indicated that My Journey with Maya, Smiley’s Maya Angelou biography, would be the next of his novels to be adapted with Abrams’ support.
Smiley’s Before You Judge Me: The Triumph and Tragedy of Michael Jackson’s Last Days arrives tomorrow via Little Brown and Co. Check it out and be in the know when the story hits the screen.
Are you looking forward to the collaboration? Let us know in the comments below!
Image: Epic Records
