This August will be the 25th anniversary of the release of Michael Jackson’s classic album “Bad.” The album, which included the tracks “Smooth Criminal” and “Man in the Mirror,” will be honored with a documentary being produced by the famed filmmaker Spike Lee. Depicting his work and personal life through old footage, the movie is expected to appeal to fans and non-enthusiasts alike. “We had complete access to the vaults of Michael Jackson. … He wrote 60 demos for the `Bad’ record. Only 11 made it. So we got to hear a lot of that stuff too, so it was just a great experience.”
Slated in tandem with the re-release of the album on Sept. 18th (with additional tracks), the movie will star a gamut of celebrities from Kanye West to Cheryl Crow. “We really divided it into two things: Artists today who were influenced by Michael and then people who worked side by side – musicians, songwriters, technicians, engineers, people at the label, who were all committed to Michael, to the follow-up to the biggest record of all time, which still is ‘Thriller’.”
In addition to the film, Lee’s annual birthday tribute to Jackson is scheduled for Aug. 25 at Prospect Park in Brooklyn.
