The first trailer for the Michael Jackson biopic has landed online after reports of a troubled production.
Filming on Michael had been completed in May 2024 and the film had originally been scheduled for release in April 2025, a date that was then pushed to October, but reshoots were needed in the June, pushing it once again, to April 2026.
There were then further reports that the film was being split into two parts, but the first trailer now suggests that it’s being released as one movie.
The film comes from director Antoine Fuqua, a film-maker more associated with action and thriller titles including Training Day, The Equalizer and Olympus Has Fallen. The script is from John Logan, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind Gladiator, The Aviator and Hugo.
The central role will be played by Jaafar Jackson, the singer’s real-life nephew, while Oscar nominee Colman Domingo will play Joe Jackson and other roles filled in by actors including Miles Teller, Nia Long and Laura Harrier.
“Michael’s life was complicated,” British producer Graham King said about the project. “As a film-maker, I look to humanise but not sanitise and present the most compelling, unbiased story I can capture in a single feature film and let the audience decide how they feel after watching it. Michael clearly remains an impactful, culturally relevant artist with a life and legacy worth exploring.”
Allegations of sexual assault against Jackson were resurfaced in Dan Reed’s 2019 docuseries Leaving Neverland, which included interviews with two accusers who claimed he had abused them as children. Reed reportedly read a draft of the Michael script and called it “startlingly disingenuous” after it allegedly discredited both accusers.
“Jackson is only ever seen caring for children with childhood cancer, or dancing with a little girl in a wheelchair, or tucking up multiple little boys, mostly his nephews, at sleepovers,” he said.
Earlier this year Domingo spoke about the Jackson family and their embrace of the project at an event in Venice.
“They’re very much in support of our film,” Domingo said of Jackson’s children Paris and Prince. “I’m excited to be here at amfAR tonight with Paris. It feels like that’s a nice way for us to be together.”
But Paris quickly denied any involvement on Instagram, writing: “Don’t be telling people I was ‘helpful’ on the set of a movie I had zero percent involvement in lol that is so weird. I read one of the first drafts of the script and gave my notes about what was dishonest/didn’t sit right with me and when they didn’t address it I moved on with my life. Not my monkeys not my circus. God bless and god speed.”
She added: “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. A big section, 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.”
Michael carries a reported budget of $155m and comes out in the wake of disappointing box office returns for this year’s Bruce Springsteen biopic, which has only made $31m since its release last month.
