Michael
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Antoine Fuqua
Written by John Logan
Produced by
  • Graham King
  • John Branca
  • John McClain
Starring
  • Jaafar Jackson
  • Nia Long
  • Juliano Valdi
  • KeiLyn Durrel Jones
  • Laura Harrier
  • Jessica Sula
  • Mike Myers
  • Miles Teller
  • Colman Domingo
Cinematography Dion Beebe
Edited by
  • John Ottman
  • Harry Yoon
  • Conrad Buff IV
  • Tom Cross
Music by Lior Rosner[1]
Production
companies
  • Lionsgate Films[2][3]
  • GK Films
  • Optimum Productions
Distributed by
  • Lionsgate (United States)
  • Universal Pictures (International)[4]
Release dates
  • April 10, 2026 (2026-04-10) (Berlin)[5]
  • April 24, 2026 (2026-04-24) (United States)
Running time
127 minutes[6]
Countries
  • United States[7]
  • United Kingdom[7]
Language English
Budget $155–200 million[8][9]
Box office $715.8 million[10][11]

Michael is a 2026 musical biographical drama film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan. It follows the early life of American singer Michael Jackson, covering the period from his involvement in the Jackson 5 in the 1960s to the Bad tour in the late 1980s. Jackson is portrayed by his nephew Jaafar Jackson and as a child by Juliano Valdi, both in their film debuts. The supporting cast includes Nia Long, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Laura Harrier, Jessica Sula, Mike Myers, Miles Teller, and Colman Domingo.

Development began in November 2019, when it was reported that the producer Graham King had secured the rights to produce a film about Michael, with Logan attached to write. Lionsgate Films announced the film in February 2022. In January 2023, Fuqua was announced as the director, and Jaafar was cast as Michael. Further casting took place from January to April 2024. After delays caused by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, principal photography took place between January and May 2024. After a clause was discovered in a legal settlement, references to the 1993 child sexual abuse allegations against Michael were removed, the third act was revised, and reshoots took place in June 2025, bringing the total production budget to $155–200 million.

Michael premiered at the Uber Eats Music Hall in Berlin on April 10, 2026, and was released on April 22 in the UK by Universal Pictures and on April 24 in the US by Lionsgate. It has grossed $715.8 million worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2026 and the fourth-highest-grossing biographical film of all time. Michael received negative reviews from critics, who praised Jaafar's performance but criticized the story as "sanitized".

Plot

In 1966, steel worker Joseph Jackson assembles his sons Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael into the musical band the Jackson 5, with Michael on lead vocals. After months of grueling rehearsals, involving corporal punishment from Joseph, the Jackson 5 perform at gigs until Suzanne De Passe discovers them in Chicago in 1968, and they are signed with Motown a year later. Their albums top the charts, and they sell out concerts across the US, allowing them to move from a small house in Gary, Indiana, to a mansion in Encino, California, in 1971. Motown founder Berry Gordy believes Michael has more potential as a solo artist.

In 1978, Michael signs with Epic Records for his first solo album as an adult, Off the Wall, with Quincy Jones producing. Despite its success, Michael's solo career is held back by Joseph, who believes he is solely responsible for his children's fortunes. Michael is forced to continue touring with his brothers on the Triumph Tour. Feeling insecure about his appearance and developing vitiligo, Michael undergoes a rhinoplasty to make his nose smaller. Following an argument with Joseph, he takes advice from his bodyguard and close friend, Bill Bray, and creates his own path. In 1981, he hires John Branca as his attorney and has him fire Joseph by fax.

Michael visits children's hospitals and experiments with ideas for his next album, which is set for release in 1982. After watching a news report on the Crips–Bloods gang war, he hires members of both gangs to appear in his music video for "Beat It". Thriller breaks worldwide sales records while Michael delivers a groundbreaking performance of "Billie Jean" at Motown 25. Michael and Branca head to New York to ask the CBS Records president, Walter Yetnikoff, to get MTV to play Michael's music videos, despite the network not playing videos by black artists. MTV agrees to give him airtime after Yetnikoff threatens to pull the CBS Records catalog out of the network if they do not play "Billie Jean".

While Michael enjoys his success, Joseph has a meeting with the boxing promoter Don King and proposes the 1984 Victory Tour to reunite his sons. King offers Joseph a PepsiCo sponsorship deal, provided that Michael tours with the Jacksons, to which Michael objects. While the Jacksons film a Pepsi commercial, a spark from the pyrotechnics sets Michael's hair on fire, resulting in third-degree burns and nerve damage. He and Branca sue PepsiCo for the damages, with the settlement proceeds going to the burn center where he was treated. Whilst in hospital, Michael meets with the other patients as he thinks about whether he will take part in the Victory Tour or not.

Once Michael recovers, he agrees to tour with his siblings. During the final show of the Victory Tour at Dodger Stadium, they perform "Human Nature" and "Working Day and Night" when Michael announces it is the last time the Jacksons will perform together, severing his ties with Joseph. Michael performs his first solo tour, Bad, at Wembley Stadium in 1988 to an ecstatic crowd.

Cast

Michael Jackson (left) is portrayed by his nephew Jaafar Jackson (right).
  • Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson
    • Juliano Valdi as young Michael
  • Colman Domingo as Joseph Jackson, Michael's father
  • Nia Long as Katherine Scruse-Jackson, Michael's mother
  • Miles Teller as John Branca, Michael's attorney
  • KeiLyn Durrel Jones as Bill Bray, Michael's bodyguard
  • Laura Harrier as Suzanne de Passe, creative assistant to Berry Gordy at Motown
  • Joseph David-Jones as Jackie Jackson, Michael's older brother
    • Nathaniel Logan McIntyre as young Jackie
  • Rhyan Hill as Tito Jackson, Michael's older brother
    • Judah Edwards as young Tito
  • Jamal R. Henderson as Jermaine Jackson, Michael's older brother
    • Jayden Harville as young Jermaine
  • Tre Horton as Marlon Jackson, Michael's older brother
    • Jaylen Lyndon Hunter as young Marlon
  • Jessica Sula as La Toya Jackson, Michael's older sister
  • Mike Myers as Walter Yetnikoff, president of CBS Records
  • Kendrick Sampson as Quincy Jones, a co-producer for three of Michael's solo albums
  • Larenz Tate as Berry Gordy, music producer and president of Motown
  • Liv Symone as Gladys Knight, singer and actress
  • Deon Cole as Don King, a boxing promoter
  • Asia Fuqua as Ola Ray (credited as "Thriller Girlfriend"), Michael's co-star in the music video for "Thriller"
  • Jono Petrie as John Landis (credited as "Thriller Short Film Director"), the director of the music video for "Thriller"
  • Paul Hipp as Bob Giraldi (credited as "Commercial Director"), Michael's director for both the "Beat It" music video and the 1984 Pepsi commercial.

Production

Development and casting

In November 2019, Deadline Hollywood reported that the English producer Graham King had secured the rights to produce a film about pop singer Michael Jackson, with John Logan as the screenwriter.[12] In February 2022, the film was announced with Lionsgate Films owning the global distribution rights.[2] In October 2023, Lionsgate announced that Universal Pictures International would handle the international distribution.[4] In July 2024, Deadline reported that Kino Films had agreed to a deal with Lionsgate and GK Films to distribute the film in Japan.[13] The last theatrical film about Jackson, Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009), had been distributed by Columbia Pictures, which was a sister company to Jackson's record label, Sony Music, although they were not involved with this film.[14] King said he had interviewed hundreds of people who knew Jackson in preparation for the film.[15]

In January 2023, it was announced that Antoine Fuqua would be the director.[16] Casting began that month, with casting director Kimberly Hardin,[17] and Jaafar was revealed to play Michael.[18] Michael's mother and Jaafar's grandmother, Katherine Jackson, was quoted as approving of the casting, saying he "embodies" her son.[19][20] Jaafar said he was "humbled and honoured" to be cast, after a two-year casting process.[21] In January 2024, newcomer Juliano Valdi was cast as a young Michael,[22] with Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson[23] and Nia Long as Katherine.[24] In February, Miles Teller was confirmed to play John Branca.[25] The cast for the rest of the Jackson 5 was announced later that month,[26] while much of the rest of the cast signed up in March.[27][28] In April 2024, Derek Luke joined as Johnnie Cochran.[29] Kat Graham's portrayal of Diana Ross was cut due to "legal considerations".[30]

Michael's son, Prince, was an executive producer and kept track of the film's development.[31] His daughter, Paris Jackson, criticized the casting of Teller through a legal filing against the executors of the Michael Jackson estate (John Branca and John McClain), as it risked a portion of the estate's assets. She accused Branca of considering himself "central to the Michael Jackson story" and trying to "enrich and aggrandize himself" through such costly casting.[32]

Writing

Earlier versions of the script included the child sexual abuse accusations against Michael, with King saying he wanted to "humanize but not sanitize and present the most compelling, unbiased story".[15] Domingo said Michael was not "trying to prove his innocence" but was "just trying to give a great examination of an artist, what made the artist who he is, what makes him complicated, for you to leave with your own answers".[33]

The film originally opened in medias res in 1993 following the first allegations, with Michael staring at his reflection as police arrive at his home in Neverland Ranch.[34][8] The third act dealt with the impact of the allegations on Michael's life.[8] However, all references to the allegations, including scenes of Luke as Cochran, were removed after a clause was discovered in a settlement with one of Michael's accusers, Jordan Chandler, forbidding any mention of Chandler in film.[8] Rewrites were delayed after Logan's house was damaged in the Palisades Fire.[8]

Fuqua said he was submitting his final cut when he was instructed to alter the film. Eventually, he, King, and Logan determined that the film would focus on Jackson's journey to becoming "a superhero on the stage". The script was still being revised during filming.[34] The final script ends with Michael beginning the Bad tour, before the first allegations arose.[8] Domingo said this was to focus on Michael's rise and peak. Long said it highlighted Michael's early journey and achievements while leaving the remainder of his life for a possible sequel.[35]

Paris had no involvement and described an early script as "sugar-coated". Her script suggestions went unused.[36] On Instagram, she criticized Hollywood biopics for shaping inaccurate narratives and containing "full-blown lies".[36] In response, Domingo expressed hope that the film would honor her father.[37] Michael's siblings Janet, Randy and Rebbie do not appear; according to La Toya, Janet "kindly declined" to be included.[38][39]

Filming

Principal photography was scheduled to begin in mid-2023 and take place over 80 days in Santa Barbara, California. It was projected to spend $120 million on crew wages and vendors, according to the California Film Commission.[40] Filming was delayed in September 2023 due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[41] Filming took place between January 22 and May 30, 2024.[42][43] Dion Beebe was the cinematographer, Barbara Ling the production designer and Marci Rodgers the costume designer.[44]

The production team shot footage depicting events from Jackson's life until 1995, including the abuse allegations and an action sequence re-enacting the 1993 police raid on Neverland Ranch.[34][45] After the script was rewritten to remove references to the allegations, reshoots took place in June 2025, lasting 22 days.[8] Lionsgate denied reports that the film was in "chaos".[46][47][48] Following reshoots, the budget reportedly grew to $200 million, with the new sequences adding a new ending costing roughly $50 million,[49] making it one of the most expensive biopics of all-time.[50] However, Variety reported that the reshoots only added $10–15 million to the budget, funded by the Jackson estate.[8]

In its annual earnings call in February 2025, Lionsgate said production was nearing completion.[51] In April 2025, it was reported that Michael could be split into two films, due to its four-hour runtime.[52][53] The following month, it was delayed to 2026 with a runtime of three and a half hours.[54] The visual effects were provided by Cinesite, Industrial Light & Magic, Folks, Rodeo FX, Rising Sun Pictures and Lola Visual Effects. Louis Morin was the visual effects supervisor.[55] Conrad Buff IV, Tom Cross, John Ottman and Harry Yoon edited the film.[56] In January 2026, the final writing credits were revealed: Logan received sole writing credit, with additional off-screen literary material attributed to Kenya Barris and Peter Saji.[57]

Music

Main article: Michael (soundtrack)

The Michael soundtrack features 13 songs, including songs by the Jackson 5 and songs from Michael's albums Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), and Bad (1987).[58]

Release

Michael premiered in Berlin on April 10, 2026,[59] and was released in the US on April 24, 2026, in IMAX.[60][61][62] It's distributed by Lionsgate in the US, Universal in international territories,[4] and Kino Films in Japan.[13] It was previously scheduled for April 18, 2025,[42] and October 3, 2025.[63] A first look was shown to theatre-owners at CinemaCon on April 10, 2024, to positive reception.[64]

Marketing

Lionsgate released a teaser trailer on November 6, 2025.[65] It features a mashup of Michael's songs, including "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", "Beat It", "Human Nature", "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Billie Jean".[66][67] It was viewed 30 million times in its first six hours and 116.2 million times in 24 hours, more than the first 24 hours of any other Lionsgate film and more than any trailer for a musical biopic or concert film in history, surpassing Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (2023) at 96.1 million views.[68]

Reception

Box office

As of May 19, 2026, Michael has grossed $291.8 million in the US and Canada and $424 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $715.8 million.[10][11]

After making $12.6 million within the United States and Canada from Wednesday and Thursday night previews,[69][70] it made $39.5 million on its first day, surpassing Oppenheimer for the biggest opening day for a biographical film and the highest opening day of any film in 2026.[71] Michael debuted at $97.2 million,[72] the best-ever for a biographical and musical film, surpassing Straight Outta Compton ($60.2 million in 2015).[69] In its second weekend, the film grossed $54 million (a drop of 44%), finishing second behind The Devil Wears Prada 2.[73]

In other territories, Michael made $18.5 million by April 23, setting first-day box office records for a musical biopic in numerous countries.[74][75] It debuted to $121.6 million internationally, totalling $218.8 million worldwide.[72] $24.4 million were from IMAX screens, the biggest opening number for a musical biographical film.[76]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 39% of 284 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "While Jaafar Jackson's smooth moves bring the King of Pop to uncanny life, this musical biopic mostly plays like a 'greatest hits' album that could've benefitted from including liner notes to give actual insight into the icon."[77] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 39 out of 100, based on 51 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[78] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it a 90% positive score, with 84% saying they would definitely recommend it.[69]

Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood wrote: "You are bound to leave this one dancing. And what is wrong with that?"[79] Owen Gleiberman of Variety called Michael a "surprisingly effective middle-of-the-road biopic". He praised Jaafar's performance, writing that he "nails the look, the voice, the electrostatic moves — and the mix of delicacy and steel that made Michael who he was".[80] Abhimanyu Mathur of Hindustan Times gave Michael four out of five, describing it as a "fun, soulful" film that "hits all the right notes" and praising Jaafar, but noted pacing and structural problems, including the lack of focus on Michael's brothers.[81] Nick Levine of NME gave it three out of five, calling it "a slick, accessible advert for Jackson's incredible imperial phase". He said the recreation of Jackson's Motown 25 performance was a highlight, but that the depiction of Jackson's songwriting process was "less forensic" and concluded that a sequel would be difficult.[82] The Hollywood Reporter said fans would enjoy Michael, praising its performances, music, and "visual electricity", but wrote: "The film leaves itself open to accusations of making Michael a saint, which will not sit well with the cancel crowd. If you are unwilling to separate the art from the artist, this will not be a movie for you."[83]

John Nugent of Empire gave Michael two out of five, calling it "a deeply generic music biopic" and found the film boring.[84] Peter Bradshaw gave it two out of five in The Guardian, writing: "Jaafar fabricates Michael's onstage dancing and singing style with terrific, intuitive flair and the film naturally zaps you with the superb tracks themselves... But this is a frustratingly shallow, inert picture, a kind of cruise-ship entertainment, which can't quite bring itself to show that Michael was an abuse victim, brutalised by his father and robbed of his childhood."[85] Writing for BBC, Nicholas Barber gave Michael one out of five, calling it "a bland and barely competent daytime TV movie".[86] Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com gave it one out of four, saying it was "a filmed playlist in search of a story".[87]

Some reviews criticized the lack of mention of the abuse allegations.[88][89] The Daily Telegraph critic Robbie Collin said Michael "refused to address the elephant in the room" and that it was not credible for a Michael Jackson biography to avoid addressing "the accusations, controversies and sadness that dogged his later life".[88] The IndieWire critic Kate Erbland wrote that by omitting the allegations "the final film has been mostly stripped of any humanity, good and bad", calling it "glossy, sanitised, and surprisingly dull".[88] The WBUR-FM critic Sean Burns likened the film ending with Jackson's Bad tour to "an O. J. Simpson biopic [ending] with him winning the Heisman Trophy".[90] The Guardian writer Simran Hans characterized Michael as one of several recent films that presented "sanitized" biographies of beloved musicians, such as Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), Elvis (2022) and Back to Black (2024), writing that "when it comes to objectivity, integrity and veracity, audiences will always prioritise the chance to have a singsong".[91]

In The Root, Lawrence Ware argued that it was unfair to expect a film that covers Jackson's early life to address the allegations; that critics did not make similar complaints about biopics of white musicians with "complicated histories" such as Elvis Presley and Elton John; and that critics did not recognize the craft in the film. He concluded: "This film does exactly what it should: celebrate the genius of a man who gave us countless hits. What's wrong with giving fans what they want?"[92]

Potential sequel

Splitting Michael into two films was considered during production, but the production team decided to create a single film that could stand alone. During post-production, the ending card "His story continues" was added, which could either acknowledge Michael's further career or reference a potential sequel. In November 2025, Lionsgate chairman Adam Fogelson said Lionsgate was "not ready yet to confirm plans for a second film" but was "making sure that we're in a position to deliver more Michael soon after we release the first film".[93] Variety reported that 30% of material from the original three-and-a-half-hour cut could be reused in a potential future film.[8] In April 2026, Fogelson said that a sequel would depend on the critical and commercial response to the film. King acknowledged the potential for a sequel, and Logan was reported to be working on a script.[94] Fuqua said that enough footage had been filmed to support a sequel covering Jackson's later life.[95]

See also

  • The Jacksons: An American Dream – 1992 miniseries directed by Karen Arthur
  • Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story – 2004 television film by Allan Moyle
  • Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland – 2017 American biographical TV film

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