A new documentary focusing on Joe Jackson — the domineering father and manager of the hit-making Jackson 5 and the man who helped launch the massively successful careers of his son Michael and his daughter Janet — is in the works. The new project, which
is being developed with the help of Jackson’s son Marlon, is set to debut on BLK Prime. An exact release date has not been announced.
According to an announcement by the Jacksons on Instagram, “The Manager. The Mythology. The Legend. is an original series” that will offer “a deeper look at the man whose vision helped shape our family and its musical legacy.”
The news arrives after the recent release of the blockbuster Michael biopic, which portrayed Jackson as a father with an iron fist and hair-trigger temper who used physical punishment to push his sons to stardom. The film has renewed attention in the Jackson family and Joe’s own legacy within it. Michael, who would later split from his father’s control, accused him of severe childhood emotional and physical abuse, including beatings with iron cords. Joe, who demanded that his nine children call him “Joseph,” later clarified during a television interview: “I whipped him with a switch and a belt. I never beat him — you beat somebody with a stick.” By the time they reached adulthood, most of the Jackson siblings dismissed Joe as their manager.
Marlon appears intent to show a different side of his father’s story. “Our father’s life is replete with triumphs and challenges, and we firmly believe that this series will offer a distinctive and accurate portrayal of the man behind our family,” he said. “We are thrilled to share [my] father’s indelible legacy with fans worldwide, granting them an intimate glimpse into the remarkable individual we knew and loved,” he said.
Joe died on June 27, 2018, at the age of 89 after battling terminal cancer. Following his death, Janet addressed his death during New Orleans’ Essence Fest. “He was very strong, and without his drive, his strength … we wouldn’t have this success,” Janet said of her father. “We are a Black family that came from Gary, Indiana, and we broke all kinds of records around the globe. That’s truth. My father was a great man.”
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