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

When does Michael come out? All about the Michael Jackson biopic (and its controversies)

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.

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and Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe is a timely SEO writer at **. She has been working at * *since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Distractify.

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April 11, 2026 8:00 a.m. ET

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Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in 'Michael'; Michael Jackson in 1983 in London. Credit:

Lionsgate; Dave Hogan/Getty

- Antoine Fuqua's Michael Jackson biopic hits theaters on April 24, 2026.

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

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

The man in the mirror will be unleashed in *Michael*, an upcoming biopic about pop icon Michael Jackson.

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.

With the biopic set to hit theaters on April 24, here's everything we know about *Michael*, from its 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 addresses Paris Jackson's criticism on Michael Jackson biopic

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?

The first full-length trailer for *Michael* arrived in February, highlighting the Jackson family's dynamic as patriarch Joe (Colman Domingo) encourages his sons to "fight" for success as the Jackson 5.

The trailer pivots to Michael in the studio, hungry for solo stardom. "You know what I'm after?" he asks his lawyer and manager John Branca (Miles Teller). "You want to be the biggest star in the world," Branca replies.

Joe, meanwhile, dreams of "capitalizing" on Michael's success to bolster the Jackson family brand. "That's our Coca-Cola," he declares.

As Michael strives to forge his own path and "do my own thing," his mother, Katherine (Nia Long), tells him, "I knew you were different from the moment you were born. You have a very special light."

The trailer's final moments highlight Michael the performer and showstopper: moonwalks, sparking jackets, and "Thriller," of course. It's all capped off by Michael's own words: "I believe music could change the world. Spread love, joy, and peace. That is what I want the world to feel: Magic."**

A second trailer arrived in April, this one shorter and heavy on the King of Pop's most iconic eras. "I just have all these songs in my head," he says. "I just gotta get 'em out."

This latest tease promises a film focused as much on performance and nostalgia as the singer's real-life struggles and controversies.**

Who’s in the cast of Michael?

The Jackson 5 in 'Michael'.

Glen Wilson/Lionsgate

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

In a recent *Interview *profile with costar Miles Teller (who plays Branca), Jaafar revealed that he kept his casting a secret from his family for a year. "I kept it pretty quiet until I felt comfortable enough to share it," he explained.

He described stepping into his uncle's shoes as transformative. "It’s the type of experience that reshapes who you are for the better."

He continued, "To be able to live in those shoes, feel some of what he was feeling, see life through fresh eyes the way Michael did — it was important to feel all those things so I could come from a place of truth, rather than trying to imitate or copy the shape of the moves."

Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson in 'Michael'.

Courtesy of Lionsgate

Two-time Oscar nominee Colman Domingo 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," he continued. "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."

His resemblance to the real-life Joe Jackson was so uncanny that Fuqua, *Michael*'s director, told *WSJ Magazine* in March that it "scared the s--t out of" him. He added that Domingo "melts into the character," and that he replicated "the look and his body language and even the way he spoke."

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 show up in the film. Kat Graham (*The Vampire Diaries*) will 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/WireImage

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."

Domingo recently responded to her criticism, telling *WSJ Magazine*, "I hope that she eventually loves the tribute that we made about her father."

When does Michael come out?

*Michael* lands in theaters on April 24, 2026.

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