Wonderhood Studios to produce “The Trial of Michael Jackson” for Channel 4

Channel 4 have commissioned Wonderhood Studios to produce a landmark 4 x 60-minute series “The Trial of Michael Jackson” (working title), which will forensically examine available archive to offer a deeper understanding of Jackson’s life as lived in front of the cameras.

Over 2,000 journalists from across the world descended upon the small city of Santa Maria, California for Michael Jackson’s 2005 trial. Channels interrupted their regular broadcasting to show 24 hour rolling news coverage of the events. E! Entertainment and Sky News even worked together to recreate the trial, using a Michael Jackson impersonator as a stand-in for Jackson in the dock. Now, by revisiting the “trial of the century” in forensic detail, this premium, archive-driven series not only explores the relationship between Michael Jackson and the media, but also documents Jackson’s life story, as lived in the gaze of cameras. In doing so the series seeks to ask wider questions about race, fame, journalistic ethics and the American justice system.

The series was commissioned by Channel 4’s senior commissioning editor Anna Miralis and Alisa Pomeroy, Head of Documentaries and Factual Entertainment at Channel 4. The series was developed by Wonderhood’s Director of Development Tom Garton, Louise Kentleton, and Tom Anstiss.

Anna Miralis, Senior Commissioning Editor says: “Made by an multi-award- winning production company, this remarkable series is destined to be compelling, insightful and truly remarkable. Many will remember the tumultuous media frenzy and the lasting effect it had on Jackson. The astonishing archive and accounts given by those featured will no doubt offer up a unique insight into this momentous trial and Jackson himself."

Samantha Anstiss, Chief Creative Officer, Wonderhood Studios says “Michael Jackson’s mesmerising performances and groundbreaking music have made him one of the world’s most enduring global icons whose music is still listened to by millions across the globe. But in 2005 he faced the most dramatic 6 months of his life as he stood accused of heinous crimes. Through the prism of the trial in which he was found not guilty we explore his life, alongside themes of race, justice, money and fame, to tell this tragic tale."

Tom Garton, Director of Development Wonderhood Studios “The 2005 criminal trial of Michael Jackson was unlike any other criminal trial in history. It was a trial, where the most famous man on the planet was in the dock. Now we have the opportunity to peel back the layers of the media circus around the trial, and to explore Jackson’s complicated legacy in detail.”