"Thriller," which marks the first music video to make the Library of Congress' list, had been considered for entry in previous years, but finally made the cut following Jackson's death this past summer.
Tony Award-winning choreographer Michael Peters, who co-choreographed Dreamgirls with Michael Bennett, collaborated with Jackson and Tony-nominated choreographer Vincent Patterson (Kiss of the Spider Woman) to create the signature moves for "Thriller," which was directed by John Landis.
Jackson sold the rights to "Thriller" to the Nederlander Organization for development as a Broadway musical. Peters also staged Jackson's gang-inspired music video "Beat It," which featured Patterson as the leading white gang member. Patterson also appeared as one of the zombies in "Thriller" and later conceived, co-directed and choreographed "Smooth Criminal."
