Michael is a 2026 biographical film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan. It follows the early life of the American singer Michael Jackson, from his time with the Jackson 5 in the 1960s to the Bad World 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 Graham King had secured the rights to produce a film about Jackson, with Logan attached to write. Lionsgate 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 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 received generally negative reviews from critics, who praised Jaafar's performance but criticized the story as "sanitized". It grossed $1.029 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing biographical film, the first biographical film to reach $1 billion, the highest-grossing Lionsgate film and the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2026. A sequel is in development.
Plot
In 1966, the 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, the Jackson 5 perform until Suzanne De Passe discovers them in Chicago in 1968, and they are signed with Motown a year later. They become a huge success, allowing them to move out of their house in Gary, Indiana, and into the Hayvenhurst 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. Joseph restricts Michael's solo career, believing he is solely responsible for his children's fortunes, and forces him to accompany his brothers on the Triumph Tour. Feeling insecure about his appearance and developing vitiligo, Michael undergoes a rhinoplasty to shrink his nose. Following an argument with Joseph, he is advised by his bodyguard and close friend, Bill Bray, to forge his own path. In 1981, he hires John Branca as his attorney, who helps him fire Joseph via fax.
Michael visits children's hospitals and experiments with ideas for his next album. 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. In New York, Michael and Branca convince the CBS Records president, Walter Yetnikoff, to have MTV, which does not play videos by black artists, play Michael's music videos.
While Michael enjoys his success, Joseph meets 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. While the Jacksons film a Pepsi commercial, a spark from the pyrotechnics sets Michael's hair ablaze, resulting in third-degree burns and nerve damage. He and Branca sue PepsiCo for damages, with the settlement proceeds going to the burn center where he was treated. While hospitalized, Michael meets the other patients as he considers whether to participate in the Victory Tour.
Michael agrees to tour with his siblings. At the Victory Tour's final show at Dodger Stadium that December, they perform "Human Nature" and "Working Day and Night". Michael announces it is the last time the Jacksons will perform together, severing his ties with Joseph. In 1988, Michael performs to an ecstatic crowd at Wembley Stadium as part of his first solo tour, the Bad World Tour.
Cast
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 "Thriller" music video
Jono Petrie as John Landis (credited as "Thriller Short Film Director"), the director of the "Thriller" music video Paul Hipp as Bob Giraldi (credited as "Commercial Director"), the director of 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. In February 2022, the film was announced with Lionsgate Films owning the global distribution rights. In October 2023, Lionsgate announced that Universal Pictures International was handling the international distribution. In July 2024, Deadline reported that Kino Films had agreed to a deal with Lionsgate and GK Films to distribute the film in Japan. The last theatrical film about Jackson, Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009), had been distributed by Columbia Pictures, a sister company to Jackson's record label, Sony Music. King said he had interviewed hundreds of people who knew Jackson in preparation for the film.
In January 2023, Antoine Fuqua was announced as the director. Casting began that month, with casting director Kimberly Hardin, and Jaafar was announced as Michael. Michael's mother and Jaafar's grandmother, Katherine Jackson, approved, saying he "embodies" her son. Jaafar said he was "humbled and honoured" to be cast after a two-year casting process. In January 2024, the newcomer Juliano Valdi was cast as a young Michael, with Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson and Nia Long as Katherine. In February, Miles Teller was confirmed as John Branca. The cast for the rest of the Jackson 5 was announced later that month, while much of the rest of the cast joined in March. In April 2024, Derek Luke joined as Jackson's attorney Johnnie Cochran. Kat Graham's portrayal of Diana Ross was cut due to "legal considerations".
Michael's son, Prince, was an executive producer and kept track of the film's development. 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.
Writing Earlier versions of the script included the first child sexual abuse accusations against Michael. King said he wanted to "humanize but not sanitize and present the most compelling, unbiased story". Dan Reed, the director of the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, which documents later allegations against Jackson, said he read a leaked script that contained "outright distortions". 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". Fuqua expressed skepticism about the allegations, saying "sometimes people do some nasty things for some money". Reed said he found Fuqua's comments "kind of ironic ... If anyone's making money, it's Michael Jackson's estate and the people who worked on this biographical picture."
Michael 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. The third act dealt with the impact of the allegations on Michael's life. 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. Rewrites were delayed after Logan's house was damaged in the Palisades Fire.
Fuqua said he was submitting his final cut when he was instructed to alter the film. Eventually, he, King, and Logan decided to have the film focus on Jackson's journey to becoming "a superhero on the stage". The script was still being revised during filming. The final script ends with Michael beginning the Bad World Tour, before the first allegations arose. 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.
Paris had no involvement and described an early script as "sugar-coated". Her script suggestions went unused. On Instagram, she criticized Hollywood biopics for shaping inaccurate narratives and containing "full-blown lies". In response, Domingo expressed hope that the film would honor her father. Michael's siblings Janet, Randy and Rebbie do not appear; according to La Toya, Janet "kindly declined" to be included.
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. Filming was delayed in September 2023 due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Filming took place between January 22 and May 30, 2024. Dion Beebe was the cinematographer, Barbara Ling the production designer and Marci Rodgers the costume designer. Robert Richardson was originally hired to serve as the cinematographer, before he left to work on Quentin Tarantino's The Movie Critic, prior to its cancelation.
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. After the script was rewritten to remove references to the allegations, reshoots took place in June 2025, lasting 22 days. Lionsgate denied reports that the film was in "chaos". Following reshoots, the budget reportedly grew to $200 million, with the new sequences adding a new ending costing roughly $50 million, making it one of the most expensive biopics of all time. However, Variety reported that the reshoots only added $10–15 million to the budget, funded by the Jackson estate.