Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch and its theme park were brought back to life Friday as work continues on an upcoming film about the reclusive singer’s troubled life and career.
Jackson was preparing for a lucrative run of shows at London’s O2 Arena when he died in 2009 in a rented mansion in Los Angeles due to cardiac arrest following an overdose of the surgical anesthetic Propofol.
In the years since his death at age 50, the pop icon has remained a relevant pop culture figure — celebrated for the body of work he left behind, amid a legacy complicated by controversy, including allegations of child abuse.
His life is now dramatized in the new biopic Michael, with Jackson’s own cousin Jaafar – himself an accomplished singer and dancer – playing his late uncle.
Neverland – the Santa Barbara Country ranch originally purchased by Jackson in 1988 – has now been reconstructed as filming continues ahead of the film’s scheduled April 18, 2025 release.
Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch has been resurrected as a film about the reclusive singer’s troubled life and career is in the works (left), and the original Neverland Ranch in 2003, two years before it was sold (right)
Jackson was preparing for a lucrative run of shows at London’s O2 Arena when he died in 2009 in a rented mansion in Los Angeles due to cardiac arrest following an overdose of the surgical anesthetic Propofol.
Photos of Ariel show that the carnival rides, tents and children’s trains it became famous for have all been painstakingly rebuilt, along with a Ferris wheel and a replica of Jackson’s merry-go-round.
Additional photos show a recreation of its enormous red-and-white circus tent, as well as the red train that transported visitors through the park.
Billionaire Ron Burkle bought Jackson’s Neverland in December 2020 for $22 million. Burkle was a financial advisor to Michael Jackson after meeting him at an event for underprivileged children in the mid-2000s.
He bought the property for almost $80 million less than the asking price.
The Santa Ynez Valley, California ranch, once home to the King of Pop, was inspired by JM Barrie’s novel ‘Peter Pan’ and included an amusement park and zoo.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal shortly after purchasing the property, Burkle explained that he wanted to give it a facelift, repair the train station, which had been damaged by woodpeckers, repair the roads and ultimately restore the train line let it drive.
‘It was a bit of a depressing place. It was no longer the beautiful place it was before. It just needed flowers and life again,” he said.
As filming continued, fans got a taste of what to expect at a recent Lionsgate presentation, a year before it was expected to hit theaters.
A shot from above shows that the building has been restored to its former glory for the new film
The property in an overhead photo taken in 2003 as the singer battled child sex charges
Jaafar Jackson is pictured in the title role of the upcoming film Michael (left), and the real Michael on stage in 1988 (right)
Ariel photos show that the carnival rides, tents and children’s trains that Neverland became famous for have all been painstakingly rebuilt, along with a Ferris wheel and a replica of Jackson’s carousel
The sneak peek didn’t disappoint as it kicked off with Jackson on stage performing some of his biggest hits including Man in the Mirror and Thriller.
Variety reported that it will feature “more than 30” of Jackson’s songs and has remade several of them, “starting with Jackson 5’s classic rendition of ABC on American Bandstand.”
Nia Long, who plays the mother of late pop star Nia Long, tells her gifted child that he has a “very special light” and that she should “shine that light on the world.”
“There may be people who think you’re different, and that will make life a little harder for you,” she warned him. “But you were never like anyone else.”
During the presentation, producer Graham King said he was “looking forward to giving audiences a thrill like they’ve never seen before.”
“It’s a story worthy of a cinematic presentation,” King said before showing the trailer, per Deadline. “For the first time, fans and generations of moviegoers will come together to take a look at the most prolific artist who ever lived.”
He noted that he and the filmmakers did their best to “find the untold version of the story.”
“Michael Jackson was an enigma, full of eccentricities and… talent,” he said. ‘[He was also] just a man who lived a very complicated life.”
In addition to highlighting his extensive discography, it will follow Jackson’s “life on stage and his life out of the public eye.”
This includes growing up in Gary, Indiana, to not being able to leave his house without being harassed by fans.
Variety also claimed that the film will make “abuse” claims against Jackson, who has faced multiple allegations of child sexual abuse.
King also teased that it would be “a feature-length film.”