Australia, Spain buy Michael Jackson doc Leaving Neverland 2

Australia’s Nine Network and Movistar+ in Spain are among a raft of companies to have acquired the second instalment of the Michael Jackson-focused Leaving Neverland documentary series. 

Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson, which debuts on the UK’s Channel 4 on 18 March, is produced by AMOS Pictures.  

The 1 x 53-minute doc continues the story of Wade Robson and James Safechuck in their decade-long quest to have their day in court against Michael Jackson’s companies. It has been filmed over five years with full access to Wade, James, their families and legal teams.  

Director Dan Reed is again attached and documents the second stage of Robson and Safechuck’s attempts to secure their day in court, with a third and final film set to cover the trial, scheduled for late 2026. 

The documentary also examines the impact of the doc’s 2019 predecessor, Leaving Neverland, and of Oprah Winfrey’s follow-up programme on the two men and their families.  

The doc is sold by Sphere Abacus, which has also struck deals with: VRT (Belgium); Radio-Canada (French-speaking Canada); Dox TV (Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and Kosovo),  DR (Denmark), YLE (Finland) and Canal+ (France).  

RTL (Germany), yesDocu & Channel HOT8 (Israel), RTL (The Netherlands), TVNZ (New Zealand), NRK (Norway) and SVT (Sweden) have also picked up the doc, along with All3Media’s Little Dot Studios. 

The Little Dot deal, revealed last month, will see the show released through its digital network channels in the US, Canada, Greece Turkey, Middle East and Asia (excluding Hong Kong). 

Jonathan Ford, managing director at Sphere Abacus, said: “The story resonates deeply on a global scale, sparking critical conversations and capturing the attention of audiences worldwide. We are proud to be part of sharing this important documentary with a diverse global audience.”