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A Family Story Takes Center Stage |
Jackson biopic ‘Michael’ becomes a family affair as nephew takes the lead
The new Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, is shaping up as a deeply personal project for the Jackson family, with the late singer’s nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role and several relatives turning out to support the film’s international premiere in Berlin.
Thousands of fans gathered for the event, many dressed in outfits inspired by Jackson’s signature style, as the movie moved closer to its theatrical release.
Jaafar Jackson, the son of Michael Jackson’s older brother Jermaine, was first announced as the lead in 2023.
At the time, Lionsgate said the film would explore “the complicated man who became the King of Pop” and cover the biggest moments of his rise, from the Jackson 5 to global solo superstardom.
The studio and filmmakers also said Jaafar had a natural ability to channel his uncle’s performance style.
That family connection has become one of the film’s biggest talking points.
On the red carpet in Berlin, Jaafar said he studied archival footage closely while also drawing on his own memories of Michael Jackson.
Jackie Jackson, who performed with Michael in the Jackson 5, said the resemblance was so strong that he sometimes felt he was watching Michael himself. Katherine Jackson, the family matriarch, also praised Jaafar’s ability to carry on the Jackson legacy.
The film is directed by Antoine Fuqua and produced by Graham King, the Oscar-winning producer behind Bohemian Rhapsody.
Reuters reported that the movie follows Jackson’s journey from Motown child star to one of the most famous solo performers in the world, highlighting iconic songs and the fashion that helped define his image. The movie is scheduled to open in theaters on April 24, 2026.
The Berlin premiere also showed how much public fascination still surrounds Jackson’s story. Fans at the event celebrated not only the music, but the image and spectacle that made him a pop culture force.
Reuters reported that the film is projected by Box Office Pro to potentially surpass $80 million in U.S. and Canadian opening sales, a sign of the enormous interest still attached to the Jackson name.
At the same time, the film has not avoided controversy.
Reuters reported that references to child molestation allegations were removed from the movie after attorneys for Jackson’s estate determined that a legal settlement barred discussion of the accusations.
The report also noted that Jackson was acquitted in his 2005 criminal trial and was never convicted of child sexual abuse in criminal court or found liable in a civil case.
That tension between celebration and controversy sits at the center of Michael.
Producer Graham King told Reuters in Berlin that he had spent years researching Jackson’s life and saw the film as a “celebration story.”
That framing suggests the movie is aiming to honor the artistry, performance, and legacy of Jackson more than to revisit the darkest chapters of his public life.
For the Jackson family, however, the project appears to be about continuity as much as memory.
The presence of family members at the premiere, the casting of a direct descendant, and the praise from Jackson’s siblings all point to a production that is meant to feel rooted in the family’s own history.
In that sense, Michael is more than a standard music biopic: it is a passing of the torch from one generation of entertainers to the next.
As the release date approaches, attention will likely focus on whether Jaafar Jackson can satisfy both longtime fans and more skeptical viewers.
But the early signs suggest that the film is being positioned as a major tribute to one of pop music’s most influential figures, with the Jackson family itself helping to frame how that tribute is received.