Everything to know about the controversial Michael Jackson biopic (and what Paris Jackson thinks ...

Jaafar Jackson, Michael's nephew, leads the cast alongside Colman Domingo and Miles Teller. Everything to know about the controversial Michael Jackson biopic (and what Paris Jackson thinks of it) Jaafar Jackson, Michael's nephew, leads the cast alongside Colman Domingo and Miles Teller. By Randall Colburn :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/RandallColburnauthorphotoe7e8b48d9f8645588439077e721a5f48.jpg) Randall Colburn Randall Colburn is a writer and editor at . His work has previously appeared on The A.V. Club, The Guardian, The Ringer, and many other publications.

Jaafar Jackson, Michael's nephew, leads the cast alongside Colman Domingo and Miles Teller.

Everything to know about the controversial Michael Jackson biopic (and what Paris Jackson thinks of it)

Jaafar Jackson, Michael's nephew, leads the cast alongside Colman Domingo and Miles Teller.

By Randall Colburn

Randall Colburn

Randall Colburn is a writer and editor at **. His work has previously appeared on *The A.V. Club, The Guardian, The Ringer*, and many other publications.

EW's editorial guidelines

November 7, 2025 10:32 a.m. ET

Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in 'Michael'; Michael Jackson at the opening of 'Dream Girls' in 1983 in Los Angeles. Credit:

Glen Wilson/Lionsgate; Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Getty

- Following years of development and production, Antoine Fuqua's Michael Jackson biopic is arriving in April 2026.

- Jaafar Jackson, Michael's nephew, stars as the pop icon alongside Colman Domingo, Miles Teller, and Nia Long.

- Several controversies have circled the production, including criticism from Paris Jackson.

*Michael*, an upcoming biopic about pop icon Michael Jackson, promises to unleash the man in the mirror.

The film's roots date back to 2019, when producer Graham King, an architect of the Oscar-winning Freddie Mercury biopic *Bohemian Rhapsody,* announced his intentions to bring Jackson's story to the big screen. The project has secured several high-profile artists, from A-listers like Colman Domingo and Miles Teller to director Antoine Fuqua and Oscar-nominated screenwriter John Logan.

But *Michael* has also hit several roadblocks, with the King of Pop's past legal troubles haunting the production and Jackson's daughter, Paris, decrying its depiction of her late father, who died in 2009 from acute propofol intoxication.

Here's everything we know about the Michael Jackson biopic, from its release date and cast to the controversies that have plagued its production.**

What is Michael about?

Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in 'Michael'.

*Michael* aims to deliver a life-spanning portrait of the icon, "tracing his journey from the discovery of his extraordinary talent as the lead of the Jackson 5 to the visionary artist whose creative ambition fueled a relentless pursuit to become the biggest entertainer in the world."

The official logline continues, "Highlighting both his life off stage and some of the most iconic performances from his early solo career, the film gives audiences a front-row seat to Michael Jackson as never before. This is where his story begins."

A previous synopsis called the project "a riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant and complicated man who became known worldwide as the King of Pop," promising a peek at the artist's "triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale."

See cast of Michael Jackson biopic and the real people they're playing

Colman Domingo says Michael Jackson biopic is 'gonna surprise people'

Playing Michael is the singer's real-life nephew, Jaafar Jackson, the son of former Jackson 5 member Jermaine Jackson.

Speaking at Las Vegas' CinemaCon in April 2024, King spoke about what drew him to the project. "The filmmaking stories that I've always gravitated to have characters that are multi-dimensional, and where there are elements of drama, intrigue, conflict, emotional stakes," he said. "Then I try and find the untold version of the story — and try and set it from a perspective that hopefully gives the audience something new to take away creatively. As you can only imagine, Michael Jackson ticks all those boxes."

He also briefly acknowledged the numerous controversies surrounding Jackson, including multiple allegations of child sex abuse (which the Jackson estate has deemed "absolutely false").

"[Michael was] an enigma, full of eccentricity, electrifying talent, arguably the most famous entertainer to ever cross the planet," King continued. "And yet behind the unrelenting scrutiny and the accusations and the grinding media spotlight, he was simply a man. A man who lived a very complicated life. The movie will get into all of it, including over 30 songs, recreating some of the most iconic performances on stage as well as his life out of the public eye."**

Is there a Michael trailer?

Yes, the first teaser trailer for *Michael* arrived in November 2025. "I know you've been waiting a long time for this," intones a record producer in the opening moments, a sly nod at the film's long road to production.

The minute-long teaser is heavy on performance footage, with Jaafar Jackson adopting the famous outfits and dance moves that made his uncle famous. Most notable? A shot of the young performer in the zombie makeup from Michael's beloved (and still freaky) "Thriller" music video.**

Who's in the cast of Michael?

The Jackson 5 in 'Michael'.

Glen Wilson/Lionsgate

Jaafar Jackson, the pop star's real-life nephew, leads the cast as Michael. This will be Jaafar's screen acting debut, though the young artist is a singer and dancer in his own right. As of this writing, the video for his 2019 single "Got Me Singing" has nearly 10 million views on YouTube.

"It's uncanny how much he's like Michael," Fuqua previously told **. "Sounds like him, dances like him, sings. It's really uncanny. Graham King, who is a fantastic producer, found him, and introduced him to me, and I was blown away." If you don't believe him, just take a look at the picture.

Two-time Oscar nominee Colman Domingo, who won an Emmy for his turn on HBO's *Euphoria* (2019–present), plays Michael's father, Joe Jackson, a controversial figure in his own right.

"I wanted to take it on because I know that there's many public opinions about Joe Jackson that are in conflict of what maybe family members or people who knew him think or believe. And even that is very complicated," the actor told EW in February 2024. "I want to figure him out and find out what made him tick. How did he create these magnificent artists, these world-acclaimed artists? Because it was a lot through Joe, what Joe did and his impact. Whether good, bad, or ugly, I'm not sure."

Miles Teller, acclaimed for his turns in *Whiplash* (2014) and *Top Gun: Maverick* (2022), costars as John Branca, Michael's lawyer and manager. Nia Long (*The Best Man*) appears as Michael's mother, Katherine, while Larenz Tate (*Power*) features as music producer Berry Gordy, who worked closely with the Jackson 5.

Many of Michael's famous contemporaries will also appear in the film. Kat Graham (*The Vampire Diaries*) will notably appear as Diana Ross, the "Queen of Motown." Audiences will also see Liv Symone (*Power Book III: Raising Kanan)* as Gladys Knight, Kevin Shinick (*Robot Chicken)* as Dick Clark, and Kendrick Sampson (*Insecure)* as Quincy Jones.**

What are the Michael Jackson biopic controversies?

Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in 'Michael'.

Kevin Mazur for Lionsgate

Michael's complicated legacy and numerous allegations of child sex abuse have been raised by many critics since the film was announced. In 2003, the singer was arrested and charged with child molestation. He was acquitted of all charges in 2005 following a trial that spanned nearly four months.

Foremost among the film's critics is Dan Reed, the filmmaker behind the 2019 documentary *Leaving Neverland*, which unpacks the allegations of two men who claim Michael sexually molested them as children.

After reading a draft of the script, Reed condemned the project as a "complete whitewash" of Michael's life. "It's an out-and-out attempt to completely rewrite the allegations and dismiss them out of hand, and contains complete lies," Reed told *The Times of London* in March 2024. "You never even see him alone with any boys, when it is a matter of fact that he shared his bed with small children for many years."

Fuqua, *Michael*'s director, previously told EW that his goal was to "tell the facts as we know it, about the artist, about the man, about the human being." The film has the backing of the Jackson estate.

Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in 'Michael'.

Glen Wilson/Lionsgate

Early in 2025, the production allegedly hit a legal roadblock due to a clause in a settlement made with one of Jackson's former accusers, Jordan Chandler.

In 1993, Chandler accused Michael of sexually abusing him when he was 13 years old, leading to a settlement with the musician for a reported $25 million. In a January 2025 report from *Puck*, which cited multiple sources, the settlement reportedly states that the Chandlers are not to be mentioned or dramatized in any film about Michael. This was overlooked prior to production.

*Puck* declared this to be a "nightmare scenario" for the production, as Chandler was reportedly a key figure in Logan's script. The result, per the outlet, was heavy rewrites and reshoots.

A source close to the production disputed this characterization to PEOPLE. "The Michael Jackson biopic is not in total chaos," they said. "The inflammatory headlines about the moving halting are simply not true. The film is moving forward, and reshoots are happening in March."

Spokespersons for Lionsgate, King, and the attorney who represents the Jackson estate did not respond to **'s request for comment.**

What has Paris Jackson said about Michael?

Paris Jackson at the Chloe Womenswear Fall/Winter 2025-2026 show as part of Paris Fashion Week in March 2025.

Marc Piasecki / Contributor / Getty Images

Paris Jackson, Michael's daughter with his second wife, Debbie Rowe, has voiced criticism of the project, saying the draft of the script she read was "dishonest" and "filled with inaccuracies."

According to an Instagram Story shared by Paris in September 2025, she offered feedback on an early draft of the script and was told that production "was not actually going to address" her notes. Since then, she said, she has not been involved.

She did, however, warn fans not to expect an honest portrayal of her dad's life. "A big reason why I haven't said anything up until this point is because I know a lot of you guys are gonna be happy with it," she said. "A big section of the film panders to a very specific section of my dad's fandom that still lives in the fantasy, and they're gonna be happy with it."

She continued, citing the glut of musical biopics in recent years. "The thing about these biopics is, it's Hollywood. It's fantasyland. It's not real. But it's sold to you as real," she said. "The narrative is being controlled. And there's a lot of inaccuracy and there's a lot of just full-blown lies. At the end of the day, that doesn't really fly with me."**

When does Michael come out?

*Michael* is slated to arrive in theaters on April 24, 2026.**

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Source: Movies

Published: November 11, 2025 at 01:39PM on Source: MARIO MAG

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