Joseph Fiennes to play Michael Jackson in 9/11 drama comedy

During the trip Brando is said to have annoyed his traveling companions by insisting on stopping at almost every KFC and Burger King they passed along the way.

Now that the Internet has had a day to digest the news that Joseph Fiennes will play Michael Jackson in a British TV special, the actor himself is speaking out about the unorthodox casting. Mendelson told Vanity Fair that Brando and Taylor had attended a September 2001 Jackson concert at Madison Square Garden, and that Jackson chose to flee NY after the World Trade Center towers fell on 9/11. In an attempt to get out of the city after the attacks, the trio was said to have rented a auto and made it to Ohio. The story has never been confirmed. So, he moved everyone to a safe spot in New Jersey, and then he took the ultimate road trip with Liz Taylor calling shotgun and Brando bringing up the rear.

“It’s a tongue-in-cheek, fun, light look at three wonderful characters that we know – Michael Jackson, Liz Taylor, and Marlon Brando – and they go on a road trip together”, Fiennes tells EW. “But also it’s rather handsome and poignant about their relationships”.

The one-off drama will air on Sky Arts.

Think Joseph Fiennes should be cast as Jackson, especially following the backlash of #OscarssoWhite?

One of Taylor’s assistants has disputed the rumor for years, saying her boss was in NY after the attacks.

The casting choice is a tricky one, as Fiennes explains, when you take into account the topic of race as it relates to Michael Jackson.

The news comes at a particularly sensitive time, as the Academy has received a barrage of criticism for leaving out black actors from Oscar nods.

Stockard Channing stars as the Cleopatra actress while Scottish actor Brian Cox portrays the legendary Godfather star.