Leaving Neverland 2 Director REVEALS 'Murderers' Have Tried to 'Find' Him; Claims Michael Jackson Fans 'Threatened' Him

Leaving Neverland 2 director recalls getting death threats from Michael Jackson fans after the first part of the documentary aired in 2019 and revealed his hopes for the sequel!

Written by Shreya Patnaik , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 15, 2025 | 02:34 PM GMT | 8K

Michael Jackson (PC: Getty)

Dan Reed created the Leaving Neverland documentary, which explored Michael Jackson’s alleged involvement with two young boys at the peak of his stardom. Unfortunately, the director’s risky exploration of the global pop icon’s infamous past became life-threatening.

In an interview with The Guardian, Reed recalled receiving death threats over his documentary. “I’ve had murderers try to find me. I’ve had people threaten to shoot me who are armed. I’ve been threatened many, many times,” he added.

The filmmaker did not let the backlash come in his way, as he is set to premiere a sequel to the 2019 expose, which was released on HBO. The award-winning documentary featured Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who were allegedly assaulted by the Smooth Criminal hitmaker as juveniles.

At the time of the first film’s release, both Reed and the subjects of his documentary were targeted by the masses. Some of Jackson’s ardent fans accused the creators of using the late singer’s name for monetary gain as he was no longer here to defend himself.

Sharing more details of the alleged threats, Reed told the outlet that he kept company with “violent” people and didn’t worry until the situation got too dangerous. But in this case, he was taken aback by the face-to-face intimidations.

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People tried to find his home address to send an anonymous parcel, which was something he took seriously. On the contrary, people from China sending him emails was something he didn’t take so seriously.

“They’re going to have to get on a plane,” he added. However, he’s “genuinely excited” and hopeful that the sequel will reach a wider audience.

The upcoming sequel to the hit 2019 documentary will pick up from where it left off. It will follow the alleged victims, Robson and Safechuck, as they fight a legal battle with the Jackson estate to seek to hold the singer’s enablers accountable for the abuse they claim to have suffered.

Leaving Neverland 2 will first premiere on Channel 4 in the UK on March 18.