It was not as easy as 1 2 3, but Neverland Ranch was the site of a major filming location for an upcoming Michael Jackson biopic.
Around 300 people were cleared to descend on the infamous property north of Santa Ynez, Calif., for the shoot in April, according to film permit activity reviewed by SF Gate.
“Dialogue, petting zoom, stunt” and the use of helicopters were given the green light.
Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson plays the late King of Pop in Antoine Fuqua’s “Michael,” slated for release in April 2025.
The property has been associated with lurid claims against Jackson, who died at age 50 in 2009 from an acute drug overdose.
Jackson faced 14 charges including seven counts of child molestation and two counts of giving alcohol to a minor in a child sex abuse probe, but was acquitted of all charges in June 2005. At that point, he stopped visiting Neverland.
Billionaire Ron Burkle, co-founder of investment firm Yucaipa Companies and a former associate of Jackson, purchased the Los Olivos, Calif., property for $22 million in 2020, a steal compared to when it first hit the market in 2015 for a whopping $100 million.
The 12,000-square-foot mansion sits on roughly 2,700 acres. It’s tricked out with a 50-seat movie theater, a basketball court and several guesthouses.
While for sale, Neverland was renamed Sycamore Valley Ranch in an apparent effort to shed the property of its disturbing legacy, but the name hasn’t stuck.
In 2016, it was reported Jackson allegedly had a triple-locked secret closet in Neverland Ranch filled with photos of naked boys and children’s toys.
Three years later, the documentary “Leaving Neverland” focused on the stories of two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who alleged Jackson sexually abused them as children at the ranch, as well as other locations.
