The upcoming Michael Jackson biopic will be keeping things in the family as the pop icon’s 26-year-old nephew Jaafar Jackson will play the lead role in the Antoine Fuqua-directed movie. Coming from Lionsgate, the film will chart the rise of one of the most successful artists in music history. Jaafar Jackson is the son of Jackson 5 member Jermaine Jackson, and is a singer-songwriter in his own right.
Director Fuqua posted an image on his Instagram account and made the announcement that Jaafar would be taking on the role in his upcoming movie, which is simply entitled Michael, which is being scripted by John Logan. The film will also be produced by Bohemian Rhapsody’s Graham King, along with John Branca and John McClain, the co-executors of Michael Jackson’s estate.
While there are many who would believe the biography may end up being sugar-coated and will not look too closely into the controversies that defined segments of Jackson’s life, that will likely not be the case. According to insiders, the movie will directly address the accusations of pedophilia that were raised in the lead up to and following his death in 2009. Over a decade on, many believe that the truth about Jackson’s life is still mostly hidden behind a smokescreen, and for them, the way the movie deals with these issues will certainly be something to watch with interest.
Will The Michael Jackson Biopic Really Deliver a True Depiction of the Singer’s Life?
Just like Bohemian Rhapsody told a version of Freddie Mercury’s life, this new biopic is almost certain to do the same thing for Michael Jackson. That means fans are guaranteed to hear plenty of the King of Pop’s back catalog of songs mixed in with a dramatized retelling of many pivotal moments from his career.
Jackson’s legacy will always be defined by his unique and incomparable singing style and a catalog of songs that continues to be popular over a decade after his death. There have been many documentaries made about Jackson over the years, both about his musical career and about his occasionally unfathomable personal life. Many of these have brought backlash from Jackson’s devoted fan base, who continue to feverishly defend the pop legend against any claims of wrongdoing.
When announcing the project, Fuqua spoke about how thrilled he was to be bringing the story of Jackson to the world, and as a huge fan of the singer’s work it was an irresistible opportunity that he could not turn down. He said:
“The first films of my career were music videos, and I still feel that combining film and music are a deep part of who I am. For me, there is no artist with the power, the charisma, and the sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson. I was influenced to make music videos by watching his work – the first Black artist to play in heavy rotation on MTV. His music and those images are part of my worldview, and the chance to tell his story on the screen alongside his music was irresistible.”