Colman Domingo and Nia Long defend Michael biopic amid 'whitewashing' criticism

Colman Domingo and Nia Long have defended their new biopic Michael amid criticism that the film whitewashes the dark parts of Michael Jackson's life.

Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua, has come under fire from critics for excluding the sexual abuse allegations against the Billie Jean singer in the latter years of his life, with many reviewers blasting the filmmakers for whitewashing Jackson's legacy.

During an appearance on Today on Wednesday, Domingo and Long, who play Jackson's parents Joe and Katherine, were asked what they'd say to people who believe the film "whitewashed that part" of the star's life.

"The film takes place from the '60s to 1988, so it does not go into the first allegations in, what, 2005?" Domingo replied, citing an incorrect date. "Basically, we centre it on the makings of Michael. It's an intimate portrait of who Michael is."

Long added that the team chose to tell Jackson's story "through his eyes".

"Through his eyes, truly. That's what it is," Domingo continued. "That's what this film is, and there's the possibility of there being a part two that may deal with some other things that may happen afterwards. This is about the making of Michael, how he was raised, and how he was trying to find his voice as an artist and be a solo artist."

When asked to confirm if there would be a sequel, the duo teased that there "could be" a follow-up.

The film ends five years before Jackson was accused of molesting 13-year-old Jordan Chandler in 1993.

According to Variety, Fuqua reportedly filmed footage referencing the allegations, but these were removed in post-production after Jackson's estate found a clause in the settlement agreement banning them from depicting or mentioning Chandler in any project. The film was then extensively reworked to exclude the claims altogether.

Michael, starring Jaafar Jackson as his uncle Michael Jackson, is in U.K. cinemas now and U.S. cinemas on Friday.