@Michael Jackson: Video Greatest Hits
Michael, the long-anticipated biopic about Michael Jackson, has experienced major changes in its plotline during its reshoots. The changes to the upcoming movie about the Grammy-winning musician’s personal and professional lives after a legal agreement has been made public, ComingSoon.net is reporting.
The biopic’s third act initially explored Jackson’s sexual abuse allegations in the early 1990s. The songwriter’s estate and his accuser crafted a legal agreement when production on the film began. The agreement stated that the entertainer’s accuser shouldn’t be included in the film.
The filmmakers have completed the reshoots on Michael. As a result, the movie now features a different ending from the original script. The drama now concludes after the titular character’s triumphant rise to fame in the ’80s. “So all the footage of MJ’s later King of Pop (and scandal-plagued) years, including two weeks of shooting at Neverland Ranch, now owned by Ron Burkle, is unusable,” Puck’s Matthew Belloni has revealed.
Before the reshoots were completed, the biopic’s first cut ran for nearly four hours. As a result, Lionsgate initially considered splitting Michael into two films. But due to the reshoots and the project’s financial uncertainty, the studio is reconsidering releasing a sequel to the movie.
“Producer Graham King’s plan is to make a second Michael movie that would include all that stuff, plus a significant amount of additional, yet-to-be-shot footage with stars Jaafar Jackson, Colman Domingo, and Miles Teller, but that will now depend on — yes, you guessed it — how the film is received by audiences next April,” Belloni also said. “If it’s a hit, or if all signs are pointing that direction, they greenlight part two, and if not, producers eat all that unused footage.”
Jafaar Jackson plays the titular character in Michael. Jafaar is Michael’s nephew, as he’s the son of Michael’s brother, Jermaine. Besides Jafaar, Domingo and Teller, the drama also features Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Kat Graham, Larenz Tate and Derek Luke in supporting roles.
The Equalizer trilogy helmer Antoine Fuqua directed Michael. John Logan wrote the script for the biographical drama.
Lionsgate will release Michael in the United States in theaters on April 24, 2026. Universal will handle international distribution. Belloni will premiere the trailer for the upcoming film before showings of Wicked: For Good in November.
The majority of Jackson’s family cooperated in Michael‘s production, after the King of Pop died in 2009 at age 50.
On August 31, Domingo said he received a blessing on the biopic from Jackson’s daughter, Paris Jackson. “They’re very much in support of our film,” the Oscar winner – who plays family patriarch Joe Jackson – said of Paris and her brother Prince. The actor added the model/singer/actress had been “nothing but lovely and warm” to him, Radar Online shared.
In response, Paris posted a comment on Instagram. She said: “Don’t be telling people I was ‘helpful’ on the set of a movie I had 0% involvement in.”
The performer added that shed read an early draft of the script. But producers ignored her notes about “what was dishonest and didn’t sit right” with her.
Paris did acknowledge that fans of Michael, and of his early band with his brothers, The Jackson 5, will likely like the movie.
Paris didn’t make it clear what she felt was dishonest about the biopic’s script. Several victims accused Jackson of sexual abuse later in his career. A court acquitted him of criminal charges in 2005. He later became dependent on painkillers, which ultimately caused his death.
The filmmakers had to change the plot for a significant portion of the script after lawyers realized a clause in a settlement made with one of Jackson’s former accusers presented a problem. Thirteen-year-old Jordan Chandler’s family accused the musician of sexual misconduct in 1993. The musician settled with the Chandler family out of court for a reported $25 million.
Producer Graham King’s company GK Films announced on Instagram in May 2024 that Michael had finished filming. Lionsgate then scheduled to released the biopic in theaters on April 24, 2026.
The Jackson estate has repeatedly denied abuse accusations made against the late entertainer. The court acquitted him of child molestation charges in 2005.
Among the producers of Michael are co-executors of the Jackson estate John Branca and John McClain.
Lionsgate has released an official synopsis for Michael that states the feature presents the eponymous singer’s triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale. The film captures his human side and personal struggles to his undeniable creative genius, captured by his most iconic performances.
In Michael, Domingo and Nia Long play the eponymous character’s parents, Joe and Katherine Jackson. Teller portrays as entertainment lawyer John Branca.
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