By LoffMusic Editorial Staff
July 23, 2025 – Madrid
After years of rumors, rewrites, and a tense wait that seemed eternal, Michael, the ambitious biopic about the life of Michael Jackson, now has a new official date: April 24, 2026. This has been confirmed by Lionsgate and Universal, who are betting on a global theatrical and IMAX release.
Behind the cameras, director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Emancipation) is at the helm of a production that promises not only to revive the figure of the King of Pop, but also to reopen the debate -complete, uncomfortable and fascinating- about his legacy. And at the helm of the project, playing Michael, will be none other than his nephew: Jaafar Jackson, in what will be his film debut.
An impossible role for someone who knows it inside out
To play Michael Jackson is not simply to embody an icon: it is to inhabit a cultural symbol with blinding lights and eternal shadows. Who better to shoulder that burden than someone who grew up with his blood, his music and his story?
Jaafar, 27, has surprised those who have already been able to see the first footage shown at events like CinemaCon. His physique, the way he moves, his voice: everything points to the fact that this is not an imitation, but a resurrection controlled with surgical precision and family respect. The choice has been celebrated by Michael’s own entourage, who see in his nephew a sort of emotional bridge between myth and humanity.
The Michael we will meet: from child prodigy to independent artist
One of the biggest twists in this production is the creative decision to focus only on the period from the Jackson 5 to Off the Wall (1979). That is, Michael’s first big leap into his solo career, just before the global phenomenon that would become Thriller.
Sources close to the production have confirmed that the focus was narrowed after legal difficulties in dramatizing certain episodes of his more adult life, especially those parts involving controversial allegations. Some planned scenes were scrapped or rewritten. The result: a first installment that works as the genesis of a star, not the summary of a fall.
Mind you: according to The Hollywood Reporter, a sequel addressing the post-Offthe Wall era is still in development.
A powerful cast, a musical story and 30 unforgettable songs
Along with Jaafar, the cast includes Colman Domingo as the strict and decisive Joe Jackson, and Nia Long as Katherine Jackson, his mother. Rounding out the cast are Miles Teller, Laura Harrier, Kat Graham, Larenz Tate and Derek Luke.
The screenplay is being written by John Logan(Gladiator, Skyfall), and production is in the hands of the experienced Graham King(Bohemian Rhapsody), along with John Branca and John McClain, executors of Michael’s estate.
And, unsurprisingly, the film will include more than 30 iconic songs, many of them performed on screen by Jaafar. An aural journey through the King of Pop’s early hits: from “I Want You Back” to “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” including rehearsals, family conflicts and the origins of his unmistakable aesthetic.
A film, a myth, an unavoidable question
Beyond the music, the challenge will be another: how to tell Michael without falling into the trap of whitewashing or morbidity? How to draw a deeply contradictory figure without reducing him to a headline? Director Fuqua has promised an approach that is “honest and unvarnished,” yet also respectful. The balance, as always with Jackson, will be fragile.
But one thing is clear: the interest is there. The first images shown at film fairs unleashed global enthusiasm. The Jackson name, even with the weight of its history, continues to shine. And perhaps Michael is the film that reminds us that behind every supernova there is a child, a brother, a dreamer… and a price to pay.
🎬 Michael
📅 World Premiere: April 24, 2026
🎤 Starring: Jaafar Jackson
🎧 Featuring over 30 songs
🎥 Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
✍️ Screenplay: John Logan
Ready to hear “Billie Jean” again in the darkness of the movie theater?
This will not be a simple biopic. It will be a comeback. And like everything surrounding Michael Jackson… it will be impossible to look away.
