The film stars Jackson's real-life nephew Jaafar in the title role and is released in April
By Max Pilley 2nd February 2026
Jaafar Jackson in 'Michael'. CREDIT: Press
A new trailer and poster for the hotly anticipated Michael Jackson biopic Michael have been released – check them out below.
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The film will see the King of Pop’s real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson take on the title role and it is expected to chart the rise of one of the most successful pop music stars in history.
AdvertisementThe new trailer shows that much of the film will centre around Jackson’s relationship with his overbearing father Joe – played by Oscar nominee Colman Domingo – and his struggle to overcome his child-star status with the Jackson Five.
Antoine Fuqua, the filmmaker behind Training Day and The Equalizer, will direct Michael, while John Logan (Gladiator, Skyfall) serves as screenwriter. Nia Long (Empire, Boyz n the Hood) will play Jackson’s mother Katherine, while Miles Teller will portray John Branca, the lawyer and manager who is the co-executor of the Jackson estate and a producer on the film.
Check out the trailer and poster here:
‘Michael’ poster. CREDIT: Press
The official synopsis reads: “Michael explores the global superstar’s journey to become known to the world as the King Of Pop, presenting an intimate look at the life and enduring legacy of one of the most influential, trailblazing artists the world has ever known”.
The release of the film was delayed due to reports that the final act had to be shot again due to an unsanctioned inclusion of the 1993 Jordan Chandler case, in which the dentist and screenwriter accused Jackson of sexually abusing his 13-year-old son. The case was concluded when the two parties reached a financial settlement in 1994.
It is now set to be released into cinemas on April 24, with rumours that it would be split into two separate films being apparently unfounded.
The film has already attracted some criticism, including from Dan Reed, the director of the documentary Leaving Neverland, which documented allegations of sexual abuse against Jackson. Reed criticised the making of the new biopic, saying it “will glorify a man who raped children”.
AdvertisementReed later said he had read a draft of the script in which the men who made the allegations in Leaving Neverland were discredited. “Jackson is only ever seen caring for children with childhood cancer, or dancing with a little girl in a wheelchair, or tucking up multiple little boys, mostly his nephews, at sleepovers,” Reed said of the script. “It feels like the creators of the movie have been stuck in a room with John Branca and just told what to write.”
Jackson’s daughter Paris, meanwhile, has made it clear that she has had “zero per cent involvement” with the film, decrying a claim to the contrary from Domingo.
Its release comes 17 years after Jackson’s death on June 25, 2009, at the age of 50. The cause of death was acute propofol intoxication, while the Los Angeles County coroner ruled the death as a homicide, and Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray, was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the artist’s death.
