The film retracing the career of Michael Jackson, with his nephew in the title role, will be released in October 2025, for the Oscars campaign.
We will have to wait a little longer before discovering the Michael Jackson biopic. Michaelwith the nephew of the king of pop Jaafar Jackson in the title role, will no longer be released in April but in October 2025, announced the specialist magazine Deadline.
With this release date, the film positions itself for the Oscar campaign. Its producers, who have already released the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsodyawarded four times at the Oscars, hope to achieve the same success.
Produced by Lionsgate and distributed by Universal Studios, this soberly titled biopic Michael will be directed by Antoine Fuqua, director of the saga The Equalizer or even Seven Mercenaries (2016).
The film notably brings together Colman Domingo (Joe Jackson, the father), Nia Long (Katherine Jackson, the mother) and Miles Teller (John Branca, Michael Jackson’s former manager)
“The good, the bad and the ugly”
The screenplay written by John Logan (Gladiator, Sweeney Todd, Heavy rain) traces the career of Michael Jackson from his beginnings. It is still unclear how the film will address the accusations of pedophilia that targeted Michael Jackson.
Antoine Fuqua ensured last year on the set of the show Good Morning America that his film would show “the good, the bad and the ugly” of his life: “We will tell what happened, and it will be up to the spectators to form an opinion about Michael.”
The decision to dedicate a film to Michael Jackson was strongly criticized early 2023 by Dan Reed, the director of Leaving Neverlandshocking documentary which accuses Michael Jackson of pedophilia.
“[Pourquoi] no one is asking for the cancellation of this film which will glorify a man who raped children?”, he was indignant in a text published in the British daily The Guardian.
