Michael Jackson: lucrative rehearsals

Sony Pictures is about to produce a movie from footage of 80 hours of rehearsals of Michael Jackson preparing for the series of concerts that was supposed to have kicked off in London.

The major is reported to be paying $50 million to AEG Entertainment for the rights to the footage, which was filmed during the last few weeks before the King of Pop died.

An alternative unedited version of the greatest music video in history, «Thriller», is also in negotiations.

Kenny Ortega, who filmed the rehearsals and directed «High School Musical», will assemble the images into a film before the end of the year. But he doesn't have much extra time: next March, Ortega is slated to shoot a remake of «Footloose», the classic 80's musical that launched the career of Kevin Bacon.