2015-2019 : Graham King, John Branca and Prince Jackson talk about the biopic.
November 22, 2019 : Michael Jackson’s Life Getting Movie Treatment; ‘The Aviator’s Graham King & John Logan Reteam, And MJ Estate Aboard
EXCLUSIVE: Bohemian Rhapsody producer Graham King has secured from the Michael Jackson estate the rights to make a film of the complicated pop icon’s life with access to all of his music, sources say. King’s GK Films has retained three-time Oscar-nominated writer John Logan to pen the script. It is not set up at a studio at this point.
Lionsgate will distribute a new Michael Jackson biopic that will be produced by “Bohemian Rhapsody’s” Graham King. The film is being made with the cooperation of the Michael Jackson estate, which may impact how it deals with the multiple allegations of child sexual abuse that were brought against the King of Pop over the course of his career and following his 2009 death.
Entitled “Michael,” the film will be produced by King, who mined similar terrain with Freddie Mercury, and the co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate, John Branca and John McClain. The screenplay is by three-time Oscar nominee John Logan. King and Logan previously collaborated on Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator.” Lionsgate will distribute the film worldwide.
January 18, 2023 : Michael Jackson Biopic in the Works From Antoine Fuqua, Lionsgate
Michael Jackson is getting the biopic treatment. Lionsgate and director Antoine Fuqua are taking on the musician’s life in a film titled Michael, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Graham King, a seasoned hand at biopics with the Oscar-winning Queen film Bohemian Rhapsody under his belt, is producing along with John Branca and John McClain, who are the co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate. John Logan, who penned Gladiator and The Aviator, wrote the script.
“The first films of my career were music videos, and I still feel that combining film and music are a deep part of who I am,” said Fuqua in a statement. “For me, there is no artist with the power, the charisma, and the sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson. I was influenced to make music videos by watching his work — the first Black artist to play in heavy rotation on MTV. His music and those images are part of my worldview, and the chance to tell his story on the screen alongside his music was irresistible.”
January 30, 2023 : Michael Jackson’s Nephew Jaafar to Star in Biopic ‘Michael’
Jaafar Jackson is portraying his uncle Michael Jackson in Lionsgate’s upcoming biopic “Michael,” directed by Antoine Fuqua. “Michael” is expected to depict the complicated legacy of the man who became known as the King of Pop. According to the studio, the film will explore all aspects of his life, “including his most iconic performances that led him to become the greatest entertainer of all time.” The film is being made with the cooperation of the Michael Jackson estate,
Prince Jackson on Instagram : “My cousin @jaafarjackson is going to be playing my father in the upcoming biopic produced by @gkfilms and directed by @antoinefuqua! Truthfully I couldn’t be happier and prouder for him, he’s been working his ass off and I know he’s going to do an amazing job. Just being himself, he embodies so much of my dad and I’m confident we are all going to do our best to show the world a part of my father they’ve never seen and that they deserve to see. To all of my family’s fans and supporters out there thank you for your continued support and love. We all know my father and Jaafar’s uncle was such an incredible human being and everyone at @gkfilms is dedicated and excited to bring my father’s story to the big screen. This project means so much to me for many reasons, I’m really happy that my family and I can go on this journey together. @jaafarjackson i know you’re going to be great bro and again I couldn’t be prouder and happier for you cuz. @jourdynnjackson with the to start us off”.
Jaafar Jackson on Instagram : I’m humbled and honored to bring my Uncle Michael’s story to life. To all the fans all over the world, I’ll see you soon” Photo by Jourdynn Jackson
A Lionsgate Entertainment film about the life of singer Michael Jackson is on track to break records for spending under California’s film tax credit program. The movie known as “Michael” — directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson — is projected to spend $120 million on crew wages and vendors, according to the California Film Commission, which administers the state’s film and TV tax credit program. California has allocated $21.1 million in tax credits to the Santa Monica-based studio for “Michael.” That exceeds other top spenders in the state tax credit program for features from previous years, including Walt Disney Co.‘s “Captain Marvel” ($119 million) Paramount’s “Bumblebee” ($102 million) and Netflix’s “The Gray Man” ($102 million).
March 9, 2023 : Heal Los Angeles Foundation and Prince Jackson just announced that his annual event “Thriller Night” on Halloween will not take place this year. The reason given is that the Hayvenhurst property owned by the Michael Jackson Estate wil be used for the filming of the upcoming biopic “Michael”.
June 27, 2023 : Prince Jackson shares a picture at a production meeting for the MJ biopic.
August 7, 2023 : John Branca revealed in a video that they would be releasing the full cast for the biopic but due to the actor’s strike, the video was deleted. Let’s hope the strike ends soon so we can get more updates. #mjbiopic #MichaelJackson
August 17, 2023 : “And why Michael Jackson?” “He’s a great artist. He was Human. We’re gonna show the good, bad and the ugly…We just gonna tell the FACTS” Antoine Fuqua talks about how the biopic will portray Michael
August 30, 2023 : Prince Jackson about Graham King, the producer behind the Michael Jackson biopic “Michael”. “After I read the first draft of the script, I called him, because I was crying afterwards, and I told him that he had the most authentic picture of my father”
September 1, 2023 : The production, for the biopic, will have a cast of 64 and 300 crew members. It is expected to be filmed over 80 days in California, primarily Santa Barbara (this is where Neverland is located)
October 03, 2023 : Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson Biopic ‘Michael’ To Be Released Internationally By Universal
Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International announced on Tuesday that Universal will serve as the international distributor for the Michael Jackson biopic Michael, starring the pop superstar’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, which we were first to report on. Uni will handle all territories apart from Japan, with Lionsgate repping the film on the domestic front.
Antoine Fuqua will direct the film from a script by three-time Oscar nominee John Logan, with Graham King (Bohemian Rhapsody) producing alongside John Branca and John McClain, the co-executors of the Michael Jackson Estate. Production is set to kick off as soon as the SAG-AFTRA strike resolves.
November 09, 2023 : The actor’s strike has officially ended in California.
On November 9th, Lionsgate Entertainment had a conference call regarding their Q2 2024 Earnings. Jon Feltheimer – CEO, Jimmy Barge – CFO, Michael Burns – COO, Kevin Beggs – Chariman of the Motion Picture Group, Nilay Shah, head of Investor Relations and Joe Drake, president of Worldwide TV discussed the foreplaning of the corporation and the future revenue coming into place during the Quarterly Calendar of April, May and June. Later on in the conversation Joe Drake confirmed: “Just quickly on the Motion Picture side, we were able to strategically really get ahead of it. We were able to secure a number of waivers and really lined our productions up so that as soon as we came out of the strike, we could be running the Michael Jackson movie starts in January.” They also recently confirmed crew and staff on the biopic : Robert Richardson will be in charge of the cinematography. Kimberly Hardin and Victoria Thomas are in charge of the casting. The production design will be done by Academy Award winner, Barbara Ling. Visual effects will be attributed to Pasquale Antonelli and Wesley Barker.
November 12, 2023 : Neverland has been completely revamped for the biopic
November 29, 2023 : A video of Jaafar Jackson interpreting Michael Jackson’s “Man In The Mirror” for the official Michael Jackson Biopic is posted online. As production has resumed after the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, this might be the first rehearsal or reference video for the biopic which is due to start filming in January 2024.
January 11, 2024 : Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic starring Jaafar Jackson as the King of Pop, is getting a global release. Lionsgate is releasing the movie stateside on April 18, 2025, with Universal is handling overseas distribution. Today, Lionsgate announced that it was beginning production on director Antoine Fuqua’s Michael on January 22.
January 18, 2024 : The Michael Jackson biopic has found its young King of Pop. Juliano Krue Valdi, a 9-year-old actor, has been cast as Jackson from his early days in the Jackson 5. The film, from director Antoine Fuqua, Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International, will have Valdi playing Jackson “as he and his brothers rise to fame as the Jackson 5, the singing sensation behind such iconic hits as ‘I Want You Back,’ ‘ABC,’ and ‘I’ll Be There,’” it was announced Thursday. “This opportunity is really important to me because Michael Jackson is the King of Pop, and he is very special in my heart,” Valdi said in a statement. “I’ve been dancing to his songs for five years now. He makes me feel really special and makes me feel good about myself. I love the energy of Michael Jackson.”
January 19, 2024 : The very first promotional image from #MichaelMovie is released on social medias. A picture of Jaafar Jackson taken by his brother Jourdynn dancing at Hayvenhurst. Jaafar writes : “The Journey Starts Monday”.
January 22, 2024 : First day of production for #MichaelMovie in Los Angeles. Prince Jackson shares a story on Instagram : “starting production today!”
January 25, 2024 : Fresh off receiving his first Oscar nomination, Colman Domingo has been cast as Joe Jackson, the father of Michael Jackson, in the Antoine Fuqua-directed biopic “Michael.”
The casting announcement comes after the news Jackson’s real-life nephew Jaafar would portray the King of Pop, with 9-year-old Juliano Krue Valdi tackling the singer during his early days.
“It’s exciting to do it with Jaafar,” Domingo tells Variety exclusively during an upcoming episode of the Awards Circuit Podcast. “Jermaine Jackson’s son is playing Michael, and he is breathtaking, and I think Graham King, the producer, has assembled an incredible cast.”
January 30, 2024 : Nia Long is joining the Jackson family. The actor will star in Michael, the biopic of late pop star Michael Jackson. Long will portray Katherine Jackson, family matriarch to the Jackson musical family, Lionsgate announced Tuesday.
Director Antoine Fuqua praised Long in a statement, saying he was excited to “work alongside her as she pours all of that into Katherine Jackson: a woman who was the glue, the rock, and the heart of the Jackson family during its best and its most turbulent times.”
February 06, 2024 : Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International have made it official : Miles Teller is joining Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic Michael. The attorney that Teller will be playing is John Branca, who shepherded the King of Pop’s career as he transitioned from a singing sensation in a boy band to world-renowned mega star. Branca is also producing the movie with John McClain; they are co-executors of Jackson’s estate.
February 08, 2024 : As we know, the Michael Jackson is in production right now in Los Angeles and after only a hand full of cast members announced, with the latest being Miles Teller playing John Branca, passerby in Los Angeles have captured the first images of the shoot. We can see Colman Domingo and Nia Long dressed as Michael Jackson’s parents Joe and Katherine Jackson. Also spotted is the TikToker Juliano Valdi who is playing young Michael and other actors playing the young Jackson 5 brothers. The pictures, the costumes and location suggest that the scenes are for the early days of the Jackson family when they moved in Los Angeles in 1968.
February 10, 2024 : Who is playing Jackie and Jermaine Jackson in the upcoming biopic
Nathaniel McIntyre is a young actor who has been doing voice over for cartoons such as “Team Umizoomi” and “Tickety Toc”, he also appeared in few TV shows with the latest being “The Equalizer” (2022). Now, Nathaniel will be playing young Jackie Jackson in the Estate’s biopic. Jayden Harville has currently not done major work in TV or cinema but has been part of a choir which might have lead him to become young Jermaine Jackson.
February 13, 2024 : Prince Jackson shares a new pic of Jaafar as Michael : “Super excited to share with y’all the first look of #MichaelMovie starring my cousin @jaafarjackson! This project has had so many special moments for me and everyone involved. This photo was taken by my dad’s concert photographer @kevinmazur who was there for my dad’s last rehearsal and Jaafar’s first performance! Thanks everyone one for the birthday wishes! Special thanks to my cousin @jaafarjackson watching you perform and work your butt off is the closest I’ll ever come to watching my dad in concert and it’s been a dream come true! Proud of you cuz!” . The same picture of Jaafar is shared by many accounts (MJ Estate, GK Films, Antoine Fuqua, Lionsgate, Kevin Mazur etc.).
February 15, 2024 : Siedah Garett shares (and deletes later) pics of her on the set of #MichaelMovie : “Grateful to have been invited to visit the set of the forthcoming Michael Jackson biopic to witness his nephew Jafaar performing my song Man in the Mirror. Goosebumps! “.
New pics of Jaafar on set : Jaafar was in full hair, makeup and costume Thursday on location in the Encino area of Los Angeles, where cameras were rolling for “Michael” … the first official film to tackle the MJ’s life on the big screen. Nia Long joined Jaafar on set here on Thursday … remember, she’s playing Michael’s mother, Katherine Jackson. She’s also fully transformed — and pretty unrecognizable.
February 16, 2024 : New pics of Jaafar on set.
Some people in L.A. probably did a double take Friday thinking they saw Michael Jackson walking around. But it was actually the spitting image of the late “King of Pop” — namely his nephew, Jaafar Jackson, who was on his way to shoot scenes for MJ’s upcoming biopic, “Michael.”. Check out these photos, obtained by TMZ, which show Jaafar on the movie set, sporting MJ’s famous red varsity jacket next to a Tower Records pop-up shop and a huge ad promoting the entertainer’s 1979 album, “Off The Wall “.
Jackson Dynasty 