Colman Domingo and Nia Long are explaining why the new Michael Jackson biopic doesn't touch on child molestation allegations against the King of Pop.

The "Michael" stars chopped it up with Craig Melvin on "TODAY" and he asked them why the film end the story in 1988 ... many years before the first round of troubling allegations cropped up.

Colman says the biopic is all about Michael's rise -- told through MJ's eyes. It illustrates his roots, his influences, how he was raised, and how he searched for his voice as an artist.

Craig posed the question in terms of changes in societal norms, where nowadays survivors and their allegations are being taken very seriously ... asking Colman and Nia what they had to say to folks who think the film is doing a disservice by skating around some big parts of Michael's story.

Nia and Colman hint that a potential sequel might broach the touchy subject.

The film is hitting theaters this week ... Colman plays Michael's father, Joe Jackson, and Nia plays MJ's mother, Katherine Jackson.