Michael Jackson’s celebrity chimpanzee, Bubbles, is getting his own movie. The primate was something of an icon in the 80s after Jackson acquired him from a cancer research lab where he was bred for animal testing; the not-quite-human companion became iconic enough to be regurgitated by Jeff Koons as the above work of art.
Now, Community creator Dan Harmon’s production company Starburn Industries and Andrew Kortschak’s End Cue are making a stop-motion film about Jackson, seen from the perspective of the chimpanzee. According to THR, it’ll be “in the vein of the Oscar-nominated film Anomalisa“; fittingly, Starburn Industries also produced that Charlie Kauffman stop-motion film.
Bubbles often accompanied Jackson to events in the 80s; he went with the musician on tour in Japan in ’89 and sat in on the recording of his album, Bad. He stayed with him until he eventually settled in the Center For Great Apes after the birth of Jackson’s son, Prince Michael II. The film about the chimp/Jackson was written by Isaac Adamson, and was a 2015 blacklist script. Here’s the official description of the screenplay:
A baby chimp is adopted by pop star Michael Jackson. Narrating his own story, Bubbles the Chimp details his life within The King of Pop’s inner circle through the scandals that later rocked Jackson’s life and eventually led to Bubbles’ release.