January 11 : 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 : 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 : 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 : First day of production for #MichaelMovie in Los Angeles. Prince Jackson shares a story on Instagram : “starting production today!”
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 : 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 : 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 : 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 : 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 : 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 : 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 “.
February 24 : Colman Domingo shares his experience filming for the Michael Jackson biopic at SAG Award : “I saw the Victory tour being shot & I lost my mind. They shot Man in the Mirror and it was something SPIRITUAL that went thru the entire cast and crew”.
February 26 : The Heal Los Angeles Foundation : We are thrilled to be partnering with @Charitybuzz to auction off a walk-on role in the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, Michael! Proceeds will directly be supporting @heallafdn. Learn more and bid through March 11th at http://Charitybuzz.com/MichaelMovie.
Jamal R. Henderson and Jayden Harville will play the respective older and younger versions of Jermaine Jackson, Tre Horton and Jaylen Lyndon Hunger will play Marlon, Rhyan Hill and Judah Edwards are Tito, and Joseph David-Jones and Nathaniel Logan McIntyre have been cast as Jackie.
“The truly epic nature of this film required a total of 10 actors with the talent to portray the Jackson 5 through the years,” said King. “I’m thrilled to bring this extraordinary group of actors and performers to worldwide audiences in this film.”
Harrier, of “BlacKkKlansman” and “Spider-Man: Homecoming” fame, will portray pioneering female music executive Suzanne de Passe in the Lionsgate project.
De Passe was a creative assistant to Motown founder Berry Gordy, and is credited with convincing Gordy to sign The Jackson 5 to his label. De Passe costumed the world famous family group in early days, and later played a critical role in bringing the band and other Motown sensations to live television. She worked closely with Michael Jackson from childhood, standing by him as a teacher and mentor, helping him navigate the music business.
March 08 : This morning, Prince Jackson is a guest on Sam Rubin on KTLA Entertainment to talk about the upcoming biopic.
A reporter, Matthew Belloni of Puck, has written a piece allegedly saying he read a version of the script for the upcoming Michael Jackson Biopic “Michael” and the press are loving it. According to Belloni, an iteration of the screenplay he allegedly read will dig deep into the accusations. We already knew that as the Estate and director Antoine Fuqua already stated that. “If the script as written ends up onscreen—which is a big caveat here because words and scenes are often changed during shoots, and not everything goes in the final cut—this will be super controversial,” wrote Belloni. “It not only engages, it wants very much to convince you Michael is innocent”.
March 13 : “I’m really excited to be part of it. I think it’s going to blow people away.” Miles Teller on joining the cast of Michael Jackson biopic “Michael”.
March 15 : Prince Jackson and John Branca are spotted on the set of the upcoming Michael Jackson Biopic in Los Angeles. Making a supportive visit to the cast and crew during production, Prince Jackson engaged with those involved in the filming of the movie chronicling his father’s life. Jaafar Jackson was obviously filming a scene for the movie dressed in a red and white varsity jacket, dark jeans and red patent leather boots. Variety reports that a reliable source close to production revealed that at least one other family member besides Jaafar is present on set every single day of filming. Meanwhile, KeiLyn Durrel Jones is the actor playing Bill Bray. KeiLyn is known for his role in “Time After Time” (2017), “Jessica Jones” series (2015) and “Out of the Blue” (2022).
March 18-22 : Pre production at Hayvenhurst for Michael Movie.
March 23 : Filming on the Toys R Us set of the Michael Jackson biopic takes place in Burbank, California.
March 25 : Filming begins at Hayvenhurst for Michael Movie.
Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson Biopic ‘Michael’ Adds 7 To Cast :
The Michael Jackson biopic Michael from Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International has added seven in key roles : Larenz Tate will be playing Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. Tate can be seen in multiple TV Series such as “The Twilight Zone” (1985), “21 Jump Street” (1989), “South Central” (1994), “Power” (2017-2020). Kat Graham will be playing the iconic Diana Ross. Graham is an actress, singer, dancer and producer and has worked on multiple movies and TV series such as “The Vampire Diaries” (2009-2017), “17 again” (2009) and many more, including music videos. Jessica Sula will play the role of LaToya Jackson. Liv Symone as Gladys Knight, Kevin Shinick as Dick Clark (American Bandstand host) and Kendrick Sampson as Quincy Jones.
April 01 : Michael jackson biopic adds Allan Wayne Anderson as Andy Warhol, who was commissioned to create the iconic cover for the March 19, 1984, edition of Time #MichaelMovie
April 02 : Michael jackson biopic adds Jason Pfister as Halston, an American fashion designer who rose to international fame in the 1970s #MichaelMovie
April 09 : Filming for the MJ BIOPIC takes place at Wilshire Blvd – Center West Set.
April 10 : Filming for the MJ BIOPIC takes place at Lorraine Blvd – Unnamed Set.
“Michael” Trailer debuts at CinemaCon
On Wednesday, cinemagoers were surprised with the trailer of the upcoming biopic about the King of Pop, “Michael” at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. Producer Graham King revealed the project will include more than 30 songs and teased it would be “long” in order to do the music star’s story justice. The trailer began with a look at the Jackson 5 performing “ABC” on TV, and then cut to a 1990s-era concert of Jackson performing “Man in the Mirror.” There are also images of a masked Jackson being hounded by fans and paparazzi. Jackson’s real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson stars as Michael, and in the trailer has a strong resemblance to his uncle and appears to have captured his dancing and stage presence. “You never were like anyone else,” Jackson’s mother (portrayed in the biopic by Nia Long) says at one point in the trailer. In voice-over, a grown-up Jackson says of performing: “It transports your entire being. That’s what I want the world to feel like — magic.”
Some of the footage shown to the exhibitor crowd today at the Caesars Colosseum appears to take place during the Off the Wall era as well as that of Bad — “Man in the Mirror” is a key song heard throughout. We also see the pop singer’s nephew Jaafar Jackson performing onstage as the King of Pop. At one point, his voice-over says, “When I’m not on stage, everything feels foreign to me.”
A voice-over from what appears to be his mother Katherine Jackson adds, “You have a very special light, so let the light shine into the world.”
April 12 : Filming of the scene “Studio 54 arrival” for #MichaelMovie takes place at Broadway Street – Million Dollar Theater Set.
Peyton Riley McConville confirms on Instagram that she plays Paris Jackson in #MichaelMovie.
April 14 : Siedah Garrett on Twitter : “Producer @gkfilms called that no Siedah character is in the forthcoming #MichaelMovie. Disappointed but appreciated the respect of the personal call. Guess it’s time for me to write my book!”.
April 15 : First day of production/filming at Neverland for Michael Movie.
April 18 : gkfilms, the film company founded by Oscar-winning producer Graham King shares a pic from the Neverland gates : “See you next year, moonwalkers”.
April 22 : New pictures of Neverland ranch which has been restored to its former glory for the Michael Jackson biopic.
April 24 : Andy Warhol & Johnnie Cochran cast for the Biopic.
Two more actors have been added to the list for “Michael”, the biopic about the King of Pop. Derek Luke, seen in “Captain America: The First Avenger”, “The Purge” and “Antwone Fisher”, will play Jonnie Cochran. The second actor added to the list is Allan Wayne Anderson mostly known for his roles in “Trace”, “Gaslit” and “NoHo: A North Hollywood Story”, who will play the famous Andy Warhol. Meanwhile, Siedah Garrett, back up singer on the Dangerous Tour, Co-writer of “Man In The Mirror” and “Keep The Faith” and duet singer for “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”, confirmed that her name will not be used in the biopic.
April 25 : George Hammonds III will play young Taj Jackson in the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic.
April 27 : According to Frank Dileo’s daughter, Belinda Dileo, her father will not be mentioned in the upcoming Michael Jackson Biopic.
Neverland Ranch Police Raid recreated for the biopic : A photo of movie police cars lined up at former Neverland Ranch have been seen on social media. From the type of police cars, it seems that it will be the first police raid on the ranch in 1993 following the Chandler scandal.
May 01 : Filming wraps today on the Michael Jackson biopic on the set of Neverland.
May 04 : Jaafar is spotted at the AT&T Centre in Los Angeles on the top of a car wearing a replica of the one Michael wore during the Victory Tour Press conference in 1983 at Tavern on the Green in New York City.
May 05 : Jennifer Batten : ‘Prince Jackson invited me to the set of the biopic coming out in April 2025. I was able to see the girl who plays my role. She has the same hair, and they made a replica of the guitar I had at the time. It’s going to be huge!'”.
May 07 : Joey Barbella is the new cast member playing mob boss John Gotti for the Michael Jackson biopic (source: IMDb). According to FBI files, a suspect who claimed to be John Gotti’s son, threatened MJ with mass m#rder at his concert & personal harm if not paid.
Colman Domingo says he’s been filming Michael Movie the whole day in California after a long night of Met Gala festivities.
May 22 : Filming of scenes at the Biltmore Hotel Parking Lot for Michael Movie.
May 24 + 25 + 29 : Filming of the Thriller short film in Los Angeles for #MichaelMovie. Many pictures leak online.
May 30 : Last day of filming (Day 91) for #MichaelMovie. GK Films have posted a short instagram video stated: “And that’s a wrap! Thank you to the best cast and crew we could ever ask for!” Also Jaafar Jackson’s socials have posted the following: “Filming for the highly anticipated biopic “MICHAEL,” featuring the phenomenal Jaafar Jackson as his legendary uncle Michael Jackson, wrapped up on May 30th, 2024. The entire cast and crew of GK Films, along with everyone involved, did an outstanding job. Now, the wait begins for April 18th, 2025. Brace yourself: we might not be ready for this one!”
June 01 : Prince Jackson shares stories from the wrap-up party for the Michael Jackson biopic : “Wrapped Principle photography on the #MichaelMovie. Thanks to all the cast and crew who made it a once in a lifetime experience!”.
June 06 : Michael Jackson Biopic Will “Be the Biggest Movie We’ve Ever Had,” Lionsgate Exec Says
Lionsgate president, Jim Packer, believes “Michael” could become the Hollywood studio’s biggest film ever. “The buzz that we’re getting every time a photo gets released is kind of crazy. And I think that’ll be the biggest movie we’ve ever had,” Packer forecasts. As it stands, Lionsgate’s highest-grossing movie ever is 2013’s “Hunger Games: Catching Fire” which racked up $865M worldwide. It’s quite clear they are hoping “Michael” clears, or comes close to, the $1B mark. The film only cost $155M to produce.
June 12 : Andy Signore & Jenny Winings, who both are doing a documentary ‘The Truth about Michael Jackson’, were on the set of the upcoming Michael Jackson Biopic. Both just released a video through the YouTube channel “Popcorned Planet”, talking about their experience being on the set, what they saw and heard and their feelings about the upcoming movie.
June 16 : Nia Long, who is playing Katherine Jackson, was at the 2024 American Black Film Festival and spoke about her role in the biopic: “I’m playing Katherine Jackson. I was scared to death. I was so scared. But, I knew that God put me in that …gave me that opportunity because he thought I was ready, right? Because think about her journey and what she’s been through being Michael Jackson‘s mother. And I started to think about it and I was like ‘Wow, we do have things in common. I just kind of put my fears to the side and I just prayed a lot and said ‘God let me be the version of this character that you want me to be.’ I was able to tap into some of my own experiences. I was able to tap into the idea of loving your children so deeply that it just doesn’t matter what the world is saying about them. Next April will be the opening of the Michael Jackson film, which is going to be pretty fantastic and amazing. It had always been my dream to work with Antoine Fuqua because I think he’s one of the most prolific directors of our time, and Graham King who is the producer and so passionate about the project that I was sold in five minutes. I’m really excited and blessed to be a part of something that is gonna be pretty important.”
June 18 : CineEurope taking place between 17 and 20 June 2024 in Barcelona, has the privilege to have a look at an early version trailer, the same as the one played at CinemaCon last April in Las Vegas. Michael producer Graham King presented the five-minute clip, which focussed on the making of Jackson’s Thriller video. It’s been in development for seven years, said King, and that production has finally wrapped. Antoine Fuqua, Michael director, is currently hard at work editing the film along with his team. If it’s anything like the clip audiences saw, it’ll be worth the wait.
June 21 : According to IMDb, Grammy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. will serve as the music executive producer for post-production of the Michael Jackson biopic.
July 23 : Another cast member of the upcoming biopic “Michael” has been revealed. David Michael Lewin will play the role of legendary Bruce Swedien.
July 26 : Antoine Fuqua on #MichaelMovie : “I’m in the early stages of editing the film right now. Just wrapped May 30. Very excited about it. I’m very happy with what we’ve got in the can,” Fuqua told the Comic-Con audience. “Michael was a big part of my life growing up, a big influence, but he was a human being, and we’re exploring that.”
August 09 : It has just been announced that Jaafar Jackson just signed with CAA for representation. Creative Artists Agency (CAA) is an American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, California. Their aim is to manage bookings, jobs and offers to artists. Jaafar continues to be represented by David Weber and Robert Offer at Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.
During an interview with Andy Cohen on Radio Andy, Colman Domingo spoke about the upcoming movie titled Michael. Domingo, 54, stars in the film as the Jackson family patriarch, Joe Jackson. Domingo told Cohen the biopic, which takes place over 30 years of Michael’s life, will tackle “a lot of things that are epic and monumental.” “I think the whole point of this biopic is to really humanize Michael and really show like the making of Michael and who he is, and so it deals with a lot of things,” he shared. Also in the interview, Domingo praised Jaafar Jackson: “Jaafar is exceptional,” he said, praising him as a “once-in-a-lifetime talent.” “When I tell you, you’ll think you’ll be looking at AI, but no. You’re actually just looking at this performer in the height of his talents, you know, giving love to the legacy that he stands on.”
Jackson Dynasty 