Key Takeaways
- POLARIS plans to release The Greatest Stories Never Told this fall, promising an intimate, Estate-approved look at Michael Jackson through untold stories and never-before-seen visuals.
- Longtime family confidant Steve Manning draws on more than 40 years with Jackson, from founding the official Jackson 5 Fan Club at 15 to living with the family, handling publicity, and witnessing milestones including The Wiz and Off the Wall.
- The project arrives amid a major Jackson revival, with the Michael biopic topping $1 billion worldwide and songs including “Chicago” and “Billie Jean” surging on the Billboard charts.
Another Michael Jackson project is on the way, but this one is promising something far more personal than a traditional biography.
POLARIS has unveiled the first teaser for The Greatest Stories Never Told, a new television project created with Steve Manning, a longtime Jackson family confidant whose relationship with Jackson stretched across roughly four decades. The project is expected to arrive this fall and has been officially co-signed by the Michael Jackson Estate.
According to the announcement, the documentary was in development long before the upcoming Michael film and is being positioned specifically for Jackson’s core audience.
“This isn’t another familiar retelling,” POLARIS said in its announcement. “It is a deeply personal look at Michael’s spirit, humanity and life beyond the spotlight, told by one of his own.”
That “one of his own” is Manning, whose connection to the Jackson family began long before Michael became the biggest pop star on the planet. At 15, Manning started the official Jackson 5 Fan Club from his mother’s apartment in Harlem before eventually securing the support of Motown figures including Berry Gordy and Suzanne de Passe.
By the mid-1970s, Manning had moved beyond fandom and into the family’s inner circle. He lived with the Jacksons, worked as a publicist, traveled internationally with the group and remained close during major career transitions, including the Jacksons’ move from Motown to Epic Records, Michael’s starring role in The Wiz, and the launch of his solo breakthrough with Off the Wall.
The new project will draw on that firsthand history, with POLARIS promising “untold stories” and never-before-seen visuals connected to the Jackson family dynasty.
“Decades in the making, this project was created long before the upcoming Michael film,” the company said. “Made for Michael’s core audience and officially co-signed by the Michael Jackson Estate, it shares untold stories through the eyes of someone who personally knew and loved him.”
The timing could hardly be bigger.
Jackson’s life and catalog have been experiencing one of their most significant revivals in years. The Michael biopic crossed $1 billion at the worldwide box office this summer, becoming Lionsgate’s biggest movie ever and prompting the studio to move forward with a sequel. His music has surged alongside it, with Thriller, Bad, Off the Wall, and other projects climbing Billboard again.
Deep cuts have also found new life. “Chicago” recently climbed to No. 2 on Billboard’s R&B Streaming Songs chart, blocked from No. 1 only by Jackson’s own “Billie Jean,” while “Heaven Can Wait” was newly ranked among the greatest R&B songs of all time by Essence.
That resurgence has also opened the door to competing versions of Jackson’s story, from the blockbuster biopic to courtroom-focused retrospectives and recollections from former associates including bodyguard Bill Whitfield.
The Greatest Stories Never Told is trying to carve out a different lane.
“We believe this will be the most authentic and essential Michael Jackson project released yet,” POLARIS said.
