Spike Lee to Release Michael Jackson Documentary for 25th Anniversary of ‘Bad’

Spike Lee is finishing up post-production on a new Michael Jackson documentary to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the hit album Bad.

Lee’s new film will feature interviews with the crew who worked on the album and its world tour, including singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow, who was a backup singer for Jackson at the time. Kanye West is also set to appear, and according to Rolling Stone, the film will focus on Jackson’s and the album’s long-lasting influence.

“I’m more than just a huge fan of Michael Jackson,” Lee said in a statement. “And having the chance to actually know him and work with him, I deeply care about his legacy.”

“With this Bad project I was able to uncover just what made this such a huge, important coming of age in his career,” Lee explained. “And unearth compelling stories surrounding the making of the album, the long awaited follow-up to Thriller—the best-selling album of all time—the short films and the tour that may have never seen the light of day.”

This isn’t Lee’s first project involving Jackson—he also directed the video for the King of Pop’s posthumous release “This is It,” compiling archival footage and fan tributes to the singer. He also directed jackson’s video for “They Don’t Care About Us” in 1996. Lee considered Jackson a friend, according to EURWeb.

“We have footage in this documentary that no one’s ever seen, stuff that Michael shot himself, behind-the-scenes stuff,” Lee explained to the Detroit Free Press. “We had complete access to the vaults of Michael Jackson… He wrote 60 demos for the Bad record. Only 11 made it. So we got to hear a lot of that stuff, too, so it was just a great experience.”

“Spike Lee’s genius as a storyteller combined with his passion and first-hand appreciation of Michael’s artistry makes him the logical filmmaker to tell the story of Bad,” said John Branca and John McLain, co-executors of Michael Jackson’s estate. “We are thrilled to be working with him on this unique project.”

Bad 25, a boxed set to commemorate the album’s 25th anniversary, is out on September 18 and will feature a previously unreleased July 16, 1988, performance at London’s Wembley Stadium. Lee’s upcoming documentary, however, does not yet have a release date.

This article was originally published on AllMediaNY.com