Dan Reed's two-part HBO documentary, "Leaving Neverland," examines the lives of two men — Wade Robson and James Safechuck — who say they were sexually abused by Michael Jackson in the 1980s and 1990s. And the director wants to continue telling the stories of those who say why were abused by the King of Pop.
Reed told Business Insider he'd be interested in a follow-up to "Leaving Neverland" if he could speak to Jordan "Jordy" Chandler and Gavin Arvizo, the two people who accused Michael Jackson of child sexual abuse while the artist was still alive.
"Wade and James' story hadn't been explored until now, but they didn't make allegations when Jackson was alive," Reed said. "So they never felt the brunt of the attack machine of the Jacksons. Jordan Chandler and Gavin Arvizo, they felt the full force of that."
In 1993, Chandler and his parents filed a civil suit claiming Jackson molested 13-year-old Jordy. The singer agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to settle the case before it went to trial. In 2005, Jackson was acquitted of molesting 13-year-old Arvizo in a criminal trial. Throughout his life, Jackson denied molesting children.
Reed believes the claims of sexual abuse made by Robson and Safechuck in "Leaving Neverland" prove Jackson was a pedophile, and also suggest there could have been a massive cover-up to keep it from coming out.
"The mechanics of the cover-up is what really interests me," he said. "How did it really happen that this guy that we now know was a pedophile hiding in plain sight, how did he get away with it for so long? Who were the people who were part of allowing this crime to go unpunished for so long? There is an inside story that should be told."
Currently, Reed said a sequel is only in the idea phase. He has not been contacted by Chandler or Arvizo about telling their stories.
