Coming to theaters on April 24 will be a movie that has been anticipated for a while, a film that will tell the life story of the “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson. The “Michael” biopic movie is going to be a two-hour and 10-minute-long film that retells the life of Michael Jackson, played by his very own nephew. It will show him from his early days in The Jackson 5 band to branching out and becoming one of the most famous music entertainers the world has ever known. It is sure to be a heartening experience, filled with laughs and tears over a story like his.
Predicted to be in the movie will be most of Michael Jackson’s original songs, the choreography from his songs and potentially songs from The Jackson 5. From the trailers, there were some clips from the song “Thriller” being displayed, along with background on how most of the songs came to be. The idea for this biopic started in 2023 and has been developed since then. Production for this movie has been worked on carefully, and Lionsgate Studios have put a lot of money into this film, a sum of $155 million in fact.
Jaafar Jackson, nephew of Michael Jackson, auditioned for the lead role in December 2023. The casting process for the film took a long time, over two years, due to the difficulty of finding an actor who could perfectly embody the spirit of Michael Jackson. Another reason was that the movie needed a massive, specialized cast to cover different times and ages of The Jackson 5 and as they grew. Antoine Fuqua, the director of the movie, said that Jaafar’s ability to portray Michael’s mannerisms and embody his spirit is “uncanny.” So far, since the casting was confirmed, the movie has received positive opinions from audiences, and some reviews from trailers and photos say that it is “the greatest casting of all time.”
“It was a process that I really had to earn and really prove to the filmmakers and myself and my family that I can get to that point where I can pull it off,” Jaafar Jackson said in a recent Today Show interview.
The movie-makers consulted opinions from the Jackson family and have gotten mixed reactions and opinions from them. Janet Jackson, Michael’s sister, and Paris Jackson, Michael’s daughter, both hold the same views on the biopic. Paris believes that the movie is inaccurate and is full of lies, and Janet has been very critical of the biopic, stating that every scene is full of flaws. The only Jackson who has a good opinion on the film is Jermaine Jackson, an original member of The Jackson 5 and Jaafar’s father, who defends the film and has helped in the making of it. He also praises his son’s acting and role in the movie.