Jordan Peele talks about Michael Jackson T-shirt scene in 'Us'

Filmmaker Jordan Peele has explained the significance of showing a character donning a Michael Jackson T-shirt in his upcoming directorial "Us".

There has been a renewed discussion around child sexual abuse allegations against Jackson post the January premiere of HBO documentary "Leaving Neverland".

The four-hour-long documentary, directed by Dan Reed, chronicles allegations of sexual abuse made by Wade Robson and James Safechuck, when they were minors.

Peele's "Us", a follow-up to his 2017 blockbuster "Get Out", features the child version of Lupita Nyong'o's character in 1986 wearing a "Thriller" T-shirt.

"I didn't know that this documentary was coming out, but in many ways the duality of Michael Jackson has been well documented," the director told NME.

He said the sequence in the film, which follows his 2017 blockbuster "Get Out", contributes to his vision of showing people's "darker side".

"There's this murky area when it comes to the specifics of his story and all that. I think it addresses this idea of the shadow self and when we talk about the collective shadow self, which is what this film is about.

"It involves an ability for us to ignore the truth and the darker side of ourselves. That's a perfect symbol for what this movie is," Peele said.

The film also features Winston Duke and Elisabeth Moss.