Michael Jackson Biopic Promises Faithful Adaptation of Star’s Life
With a growing list of music biopic films that have come out in the last few years, including “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Elivs,” it’s only fitting that there will at last be one about the King of Pop himself. Production for the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, which will be titled “Michael,” has recently been announced by Lionsgate, but details surrounding its release date remain unclear.
The film is set to star Michael’s nephew, Jafaar Jackson, as the pop legend. This will serve as the acting debut for the young Jackson, who is 27 years old and the son of Michael’s brother, Jermaine. Jafaar took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express his gratitude for being given the opportunity to play Michael Jackson, writing “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.” Jafaar is a more than capable singer and dancer, and apparently emulates the essence of Michael in a way no one else can; time will tell if he will be able to truly embody the spirit of the legendary pop star on the big screen.
Antoine Fuqua, known for “Training Day” and “The Equalizer,” has committed to directing the biopic, and promises to capture the late pop sensation through an authentic lens. Fuqua appeared on Good Morning America recently, where he expressed his commitment to portraying Jackson in an honest light, divulging his intentions to “show the good, bad, and the ugly,” and “to tell the facts as we know it, [which means] it’s for the audience to make a decision how they feel about Michael.” Fuqua assures that the controversies of Michael’s life will be addressed, though the extent to which is uncertain as the film will be backed by Jackson’s estate.
Since “Michael” is being co-produced by the star’s own estate, we don’t yet know how deeply the film will delve into the controversies surrounding Jackson’s life. On the one hand, this means that Fuqua and the film’s producers will have unfettered access to Michael’s music catalog. However, they may also be restricted to sugarcoating much of the contentious aspects of his life. Regardless, there is a lot of promise and anticipation around the biopic, and it is still too early to really determine how much direct involvement the estate will have in production, and how the depiction of Jackson’s story will be handled.
As of now there is no release date for “Michael,” but we should expect to hear more in the coming months. No matter what else happens, it’s fairly safe to assume that the soundtrack will be amazing.
