The documentary focuses on Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who claim they were abused by the late singer as children.
HBO has released the first look at Leaving Neverland, a documentary about Michael Jackson.
The four-hour documentary, which has been slammed by Jackson’s estate, centers on the stories of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who claim they were abused by the late singer as children.
“Everybody wanted to meet Michael or be with Michael … and then he likes you,” Safechuck says in the opening of the trailer, before describing his early days at Jackson’s Neverland Ranch.
"The days were filled with magical childhood adventure experiences -- playing tag, watching movies, eating junk food," Safechuck says. "Anything you could ever want as a child."
Robson, a dancer and choreographer, and his mother, Joy, also recount his time at the estate as a child, which appeared on the surface to be “out of a fairy tale.”
“I’m seven years old. Michael asked, ‘Do you and the family want to come to Neverland?’” Robson says.
“We drive in and you forget about all your problems,” adds Joy. “You were in Neverland. It was a fantasy. He just came across as a loving, caring kind soul. It was easy to believe he was just that.”
Robson claims that Jackson scared him with the prospect of jail time if he spoke out about his time with him.
"He told me if they ever found out what we were doing, he and I would go to jail for the rest of our lives," he says.
The trailer closes with Robson, who defended Jackson during his child molestation case in 2005, declaring that he’s ready to share his story.
“I want to be able to speak the truth as loud as I had to speak the lie for so long,” he says.
Jackson’s family condemned the project ahead of its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
“This is yet another lurid production in an outrageous and pathetic attempt to exploit and cash in on Michael Jackson," Jackson’s estate said in a statement to ET. "Wade Robson and James Safechuck have both testified under oath that Michael never did anything inappropriate toward them. Safechuck and Robson, the latter a self-proclaimed ‘master of deception,' filed lawsuits against Michael’s Estate, asking for millions of dollars. Both lawsuits were dismissed."
"This so-called ‘documentary’ is just another rehash of dated and discredited allegations," the statement continued. "It’s baffling why any credible filmmaker would involve himself with this project.”
Leaving Neverland airs in two parts on HBO on March 3 and 4.
See more on Jackson and the documentary below.
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