Spike Lee defends biopic exclusion of accusations due to timeline

Spike Lee has come to the defense of Lionsgate-produced Michael Jackson biopic Michael.

The 69-year-old filmmaker argued that the movie should not have left out the child sexual abuse allegations that was made against the pop star.

Lee, who saw the movie "twice" and "loved it," told CNN that the film ends in 1988, before the first accusation surfaced in 1993.

"First of all, if you're a movie critic, and you're complaining about the stuff — all this other stuff — but the movie ends at '88," Lee noted. 

"The stuff you're talking about, accusations, happen later. So you're critiquing the film on something that you want in, but it doesn't work in the timeline of the film."

He continued, "People showed up. Worldwide, people showed their love. I miss Mike. I miss Prince. These are my brothers. I worked with both of them. Both beautiful, beautiful people."

Notably, the exclusion of the accusations had been under debates and constant controversy as the film portrait was released.

For the unversed, Lee directed Jackson in the 1996 music video They Don't Care About Us and two documentaries about the life of the singer, Bad 25 (2012) and Michael Jackson, Journey from Motown to Off the Wall (2016).

It is pertinent to mention that the biopic has grossed 183.8 million in North America and $423 million globally.