Casting choices can always cause a lot of debate, especially on the internet. However, a story about how Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, and Marlon Brando driving cross country after the events of 9/11 has been heavily criticised for its casting of Jackson.
Elizabeth Taylor is played spectacularly by Grease star Stockard Channing who seems to be embodying the late Hollywood icon. The same can be said for legendary actor Brian Cox playing equally legendary Marlon Brando. What has so many people up in arms is actor Joseph Fiennes, brother of Ralph, who is best known for his role of Shakespeare in the Academy Award Winning film Shakespeare In Love, plays Michael Jackson.
The story is part of a series called Urban Myths which features stories that can’t really be confirmed about famous people. The series will also have shorts about Carey Grant, Adolf Hitler, Samuel Beckett, and Bob Dylan.
Jackson, Brando, and Taylor’s story was originally published in Vanity Fair in 2011 with a claim from a former employee that the stars were all in New York at the time of the terrorist attacks that levelled the World Trade Centers in 2001. After the event, they were either afraid to fly or weren’t allowed to so they rented a car together to drive back to Los Angeles. The story has since been debunked by the staff of each star but who is going to let the truth get in the way of a great story.
Whether or not people will accept Fiennes as the late King of Pop will be up for much debate, but you can have a look at the trailer below and let us know in the comments what you think of it all.