Abrams boards Jackson drama

Michael Jackson

JJ Abrams’ prodco Bad Robot is linking up with US talkshow host Tavis Smiley on a miniseries about the death of music icon Michael Jackson.

The drama series is in development and is based on Smiley’s book Before You Judge Me: The Triumph and Tragedy of Michael Jackson’s Last Days, which was published yesterday.

The show is being produced with Warner Bros Television, although a network is yet to be attached. Smiley, who fronts his eponymous show on PBS, and Abrams will serve as executive producers.

It is the second show Abrams and Smiley are developing after the duo revealed they were working on a TV version of the latter’s 2014 book Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s Final Year.