14 DAY TRIAL // Organizer AEG Live has at least 100 hours of high-quality footage of Michael Jackson at the rehearsals for the “This Is It” series of shows, including backstage images and the videos that were to be included during breaks in the actual concert. All this will be cut and edited again to be made into a film that will probably run in theaters, but most certainly be released on DVD, thanks to Sony, TheWrap says.
Several major Hollywood studios are currently bidding for the big-screen rights for the future production, with AEG about to start negotiations for the television rights sometime next week. Of them, Sony seems to be ahead of the game, bidding aggressively “north of $50 million,” the aforementioned source says, after speaking to someone inside the negotiations. When final, the deal will enable fans to see Michael’s last performance / rehearsal, shot just one night before he collapsed and died.
“Sony has all but closed a deal to acquire the Michael Jackson rehearsal footage filmed before the pop star was to make his comeback tour in London. The deal, made with concert promoter AEG Live for north of $50 million, followed a pitched bidding war among several Hollywood studios, including Universal and Fox.” TheWrap writes, adding that Sony is, at this point in time, the most likely candidate to win the bidding.
“The footage would be put together for a feature film, and another knowledgeable individual said that ‘High School Musical’ impresario Kenny Ortega, who served as the concert’s choreographer, would be the likely choice as director. The footage includes several videos that were to be shown between breaks during the concerts but most explosively includes several hours of Jackson’s final rehearsal, which took pace [sic.] at the Staples Center on the night before his death.” the same publication explains.
The entire footage available is, according to the same source, multi-camera HD and 3D, which makes it ideal for turning into a long-feature film that will also run in theaters. However, as noted above, the option of putting it out on DVD is the only certainty as of now. For more on this, keep an eye on this space: negotiations are said to come to an end any minute now and a winner of the bidding is expected to be announced shortly.