Controversial Michael Jackson Biopic Returns for Major Reshoots

The dispute over the Michael Jackson biopic film hasn’t ended yet. The biopic, starring Jafaar Jackson (the son of Michael’s brother, Jermaine) and directed by Antoine Fuqua, has experienced development woes for several years and reportedly finished filming last year, or so it seemed. Apparently, and as a recent report suggests, the perennially struggling production is going back to the drawing board because the movie will undergo what they are calling “Additional Photography” — an extensive re-shoot, as restructuring drives the footage captured on set over budget — 22 days’ worth, in fact, which is pretty close to filming an entirely new movie. It also had its release date moved.

A new report by The Hollywood Reporter captures the following summary: “the not-insignificant shoot comes as King, the Jackson Estate and studio partners Lionsgate and Universal are still mulling how to move forward in light of a legal issue, with the movie most likely being split into two parts. The new shoot seems to indicate that headway is being made.” Given the context that Lionsgate has previously stated the movie will be “the biggest” they’ve ever produced, it is not shocking that they are trying to allocate as much resources to it as possible. What does surprise me is the extent of chaos I am hearing about for the film’s third act, and how the Jackson Estate seems to have missed a clause in a settlement that prevents them from depicting one of the sexual assault allegations against him on-screen.

Correct: seemingly a large part of the film’s third act revolves around dramatizing a Jackson accuser whose settlement with the estate stipulated he would never be portrayed in a dramatization of the actor’s life (this was all from a report from Puck News back in January). As per a report from THR, the film was initially intended to cover the entire career of the late singer, but trying to do so has hit some snags in executing the proverbial ship, hence the wish to divide it into two films.

As THR noted: “Sources say the new film will now end with Jackson leaving the Jackson 5 after the release of his first solo album, Off the Wall.” This, it seems, is the justification for why these additional 22 days are being slotted in this way. If the movie finishes sooner, what they have now only works as half a film, and will need to be bulked up with additional scenes and storylines. Also starring in the film are Colman Domingo, Nia Long, and Miles Teller, with Domingo recently saying that Jafaar Jackson’s performance was ‘dazzling.’

If you want to learn more and watch a clip of Jafaar Jackson rehearsing “Man in the Mirror,” keep scrolling down this page!

Perhaps the most pressing question the world has regarding the Michael Jackson biopic is, will we see all sides of the performer? For a person so loved by millions, he also had to deal with multiple allegations of young people and children being sexually assaulted and abused during the twilight years of his life.

With Entertainment Weekly in 2023, Fuqua seemed optimistic that the film would be able to display all facets of him—not just the good bits (which is surprising, considering the film is being done in conjunction and with the blessing of Jackson’s Estate). For Fuqua, though, he hopes to “tell the facts as we know it. About the artist, about the man, about the human being. You know, the good, bad, and the ugly.”

We hope that ends up being the case—hagiography never does anybody any good—but we’ll have to wait till at least 2026, if not 2027, to discover the truth.

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