Originally announced in February 2022, “Michael,” a biographical drama film starring Michael Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, is retelling the king of pop’s rise to fame from his days when he was just in the Jackson 5 to his solo career.
Development of “Michael” started in 2019 with an estimated budget of $155 million dollars. When this information was released, this heightened viewers’ expectations even more. The film was written by John Logan and directed by Antoine Fuqua, with the story centered from his childhood in the music industry to his own career as an adult, including things Michael Jackson struggled with privately. The film is set to go to theaters April 24, 2026, with many starting to bring it back into the loop with videos circulating and the trailer alone garnering almost 16 million views in only 11 days of it being released.
The main concern among fans across the country is the casting, specifically for Michael Jackson. Some argue Jaafar Jackson doesn’t suit this role. Others argue that Jaafar Jackson had to go through extensive choreography training to imitate Michael’s dancing style, taking the film very seriously.
Other fans say it’s perfect casting especially because Jaafar is Michael Jackson’s nephew. Some fans are still skeptical because at the release of this film this will also be Jaafar Jackson’s film debut, and many question his talent as this is his first role, will he be able to live up to the king himself?
Raphia Desouza, an 11th grader who had recently watched the trailer had stated, “I love the fact that his nephew is playing him because I feel like because they are related he can easily find a connection to the role. He’s also a really good singer and they sound alike.”
