Jackson offered to do Men in Black for free

Michael Jackson offered to star in hit 1997 movie Men In Black for free, until he realised it wasn't a heartwarming family tale, but a hard-hitting sci-fi action film.

The King of Pop approached director Barry Sonnenfeld with a view to making his big feature film debut, according to Jackson's former PR guru Bob Jones, who has written a new book with journalist Stacy Brown.

Brown reveals: "He didn't understand the concept of the movie and what's ironic is he did land a small cameo in Men In Black II but he didn't get the role he wanted.

"He offered to do it free if he could have Will Smith's role."