Michael (2026 film)

Michael is an upcoming American musical biographical drama film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan. It follows the life of the American singer Michael Jackson, who is portrayed by his nephew Jaafar Jackson in his film debut. The ensemble cast also features Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Juliano Krue Valdi, Miles Teller, and Colman Domingo.

Development began in November 2019, when it was reported that producer Graham King had secured the rights to produce a film about Michael Jackson, with Logan attached to write the screenplay. Lionsgate announced the film in February 2022. Fuqua was announced as the director in January 2023, and casting began that month when Jaafar was cast; further casting took place from January to April 2024. Filming began in January 2024, after being delayed due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, and ended that May. Additional photography took place in June 2025. Michael is scheduled for release on April 24, 2026, by Lionsgate in the United States and Universal Pictures internationally.

The film follows Michael Jackson's life, from his time with the Jackson 5 to his early solo career.

In November 2019, Deadline Hollywood reported that the English producer Graham King had secured the rights to produce a film about Michael Jackson, with John Logan as the screenwriter. In February 2022, the film was announced with Lionsgate Films owning the global distribution rights. In October 2023, Lionsgate announced that Universal Pictures International would handle the international distribution. In July 2024, Deadline reported that Kino Films had agreed to a deal with Lionsgate and GK Films to distribute the film in Japan. The last theatrical film about Michael, Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009), had been distributed by Columbia Pictures, which was a sister company to Michael's record label, Sony Music, although they are not involved with this film.

In January 2023, it was announced that Antoine Fuqua would be the director. Casting began that month, with casting director Kimberly Hardin, and Michael's nephew, Jaafar, was announced to play Michael. Michael's mother and Jaafar's grandmother, Katherine Jackson, was quoted as approving of the casting, saying he "embodies" her son. Jaafar himself stated he was "humbled and honoured" to be cast in the role, after a two year casting process. In January 2024, the newcomer Juliano Krue Valdi was cast as a young Michael, with Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson, and Nia Long as Katherine Jackson. In February, Miles Teller was confirmed to play John Branca. The cast for the rest of the Jackson 5 was announced later that month, with Laura Harrier, Kat Graham, Larenz Tate, Jessica Sula, Liv Symone, Kevin Shinick, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, and Kendrick Sampson cast as Suzanne de Passe, Diana Ross, Berry Gordy, La Toya Jackson, Gladys Knight, Dick Clark, Bill Bray, and Quincy Jones, respectively. In April 2024, Derek Luke joined as Johnnie Cochran.

Michael's daughter, Paris Jackson, criticized the decision to cast "A-list" actor Miles Teller as Branca through a legal filing against the executors of the Michael Jackson estate (John Branca and John McClain), as it is possibly risking a portion of the Estate's assets. She also accused Branca of considering himself "central to the Michael Jackson story" and trying to "enrich and aggrandize himself" through such costly casting.

The screenplay includes content regarding child sexual abuse accusations against Michael, with King saying that he wanted to "humanize but not sanitize and present the most compelling, unbiased story".

Principal photography was scheduled to begin in mid-2023 over 80 days in Santa Barbara, California, and was projected to spend $120 million on crew wages and vendors, according to the California Film Commission. Filming was delayed in September 2023 due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Filming began on January 22, 2024, and ended on May 30, 2024. Dion Beebe was the cinematographer, Barbara Ling the production designer, and Marci Rodgers the costume designer.

In January 2025, it was reported that the third act would be reshot, as the film could not legally depict Jordan Chandler, who alleged that Jackson sexually abused him in 1993. Lionsgate refuted the report, telling Variety that the film remained scheduled for release in October. A source close to the production told People, "The Michael Jackson biopic is not in total chaos. The inflammatory headlines about the moving halting are simply not true. The film is moving forward, and reshoots are happening in March."

In its annual earnings call in February 2025, Lionsgate said production was nearing completion. In April 2025, it was reported the film could be split into two films, due to its four-hour runtime. The following month, the film was delayed to 2026 with a runtime of three and a half hours. It was later reported the film would undergo 22 days of additional photography in June 2025. The visual effects were provided by Cinesite, Industrial Light & Magic, Folks, Rodeo FX, Rising Sun Pictures, and Lola Visual Effects. Louis Morin is the visual effects supervisor. John Ottman and Harry Yoon edited the film.

The soundtrack for the film features 13 songs performed by Jackson that are showcased in the film, spanning his early career with the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons, as well as selections from his solo recordings, including material from the albums Off the Wall (1979) and Thriller (1982).

Michael is scheduled for release on April 24, 2026, in IMAX. It will be distributed by Lionsgate in the United States, Universal in international territories, and Kino Films in Japan. It was previously scheduled for April 18, 2025, and October 3, 2025. A first look was shown to theatre-owners at CinemaCon on April 10, 2024, to positive reception. In November, the Lionsgate chairman, Adam Fogelson, said the studio was "not ready yet to confirm plans for a second film" but was "making sure that we're in a position to deliver more Michael soon after we release the first film".

Lionsgate released a teaser trailer on November 6, 2025. It features a mashup of Michael's songs, including "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", "Beat It", "Human Nature", "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", and "Billie Jean". It was viewed 30 million times in its first six hours and 116.2 million times in 24 hours, more than the first 24 hours of any other Lionsgate film and more than any trailer for a musical biopic or concert film in history, surpassing Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (2023) at 96.1 million views.

Paris Jackson said she had no involvement in the film and criticized an early script as "sugar-coated", adding that Hollywood biopics often control the narrative and contain inaccuracies. The finished film has since been edited reflecting Michael accurately. Colman Domingo expressed to Paris hope that the finished film could ultimately honor her father.

• The Jacksons: An American Dream – 1992 film directed by Karen Arthur

• Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story – 2004 television film by Allan Moyle

• Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland – 2017 television film directed by Dianne Houston

• Official website

• Michael at IMDb