Warner Bros. Developing Michael Jackson TV Series: Chronicles His Final Days

Warner Bros. has signed a multi-year deal with talk show host and author Tavis Smiley. The studio will develop a scripted television series based on two of his books, one which chronicles Michael Jackson's final days.

Smiley's book, Before You Judge Me: The Triumph and Tragedy of Michael Jackson's Last Days, will debut at bookstores in June 2016. According to a statement from Warner Bros., the book will "examine the soaring highs and deep lows faced by the late pop star – his constant hunt for privacy in a life that was more public than almost any other, and the pressures he endured as someone whose fame made him socially fragile and almost unable to live."

The book will follow the last 16 weeks of Michael Jackson's life when he was planning his highly anticipated This Is It tour. His final tour never did happen because of his unexpected death on June 25, 2009. Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication after suffering cardiac arrest during the last week of rehearsals.

Since his death, posthumous sales of his creative works have performed very well. The concert film This Is It that documented the final tour rehearsals leading up to his death broke box-office records during its release in 2009.

Warner Bros.' second television deal with Smiley is for his book My Journey With Maya. The memoir published in April 2015, depicts his 28-year friendship with poet and civil rights leader, Maya Angelou. The book will also be re-worked as a screenplay with the help of Tony-winning director Kenny Leon (A Raisin In The Sun).

In total, Smiley has successfully written 19 books including his own memoir What I Know For Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America. He is currently the host of PBS' late-night television show Tavis Smiley and Public Radio International's The Tavis Smiley Show.

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