Michael Jackson Accusers Have More to Say in ‘Leaving Neverland’ Sequel Documentary

Six years after Leaving Neverland gave Wade Robson and James Safechuck a platform to share shocking accounts of Michael Jackson‘s alleged sexual abuse of them as children, the two men are once again taking to the documentary format to talk about their experiences.

As confirmed by Variety on Thursday (Feb. 20), a new project titled Surviving Michael Jackson will serve as a sequel to HBO’s bombshell 2019 two-parter in which Robson and Safechuck first described in graphic detail how the late King of Pop allegedly molested them at his Neverland Ranch in California when they were both minors — accusations Jackson’s estate has continuously and emphatically denied. Airing March 18 on the U.K.’s Channel 4, the hourlong follow-up will catch up with the two men as they share how they’ve fared against the public’s varying responses to their allegations since Leaving Neverland aired, with Dan Reed returning as director.

This time around, though, HBO is not involved. In 2019, Jackson’s estate sued the network for $100 million over claims the documentary violated a 27-year-old non-disparagement clause from a 1992 concert film for the icon’s Dangerous World Tour. The case was sent to private arbitration that year and was still pending as of September.

Robson and Safechuck have been open about the stresses of coming forward with their allegations against Jackson in adulthood, having spent the past decade pursuing civil lawsuits. When Leaving Neverland first came out, Robson told The Associated Press that he’d experienced “so much pushback and adversity in relation to telling the truth,” but that ultimately the documentary had been a “therapeutic” experience for him.

The duo make up just two of several accusers who have alleged sex abuse claims against Jackson before and after his 2009 death. Jackson was never convicted or held legally liable on any of the claims, however, and he and his estate have always maintained his total innocence.