The Michael Jackson movie recreates tons of iconic moments from the late pop star's career during the 1970s and 1980s, but perhaps the most standout sequence throughout its runtime comes during the “Thriller” music video. When CinemaBlend spoke to director Antoine Fuqua and producer Graham King about shooting the sequence, they shared an almost unbelievable story about how it all came together on set.
The “Thriller” music video was shot across Los Angeles, California, under the direction of John Landis, who famously helmed classic movies like The Blues Brothers, An American Werewolf In London, Clue and Coming To America. Here’s what happened with the actor who was hired to play the filmmaker per Fuqua:
Those old Chapman cranes go up pretty high and we found out last minute [the guy we cast as John Landis] didn't like heights. So we got one of our ADs who was still over there smoking a cigarette by the fan. I was like, ‘He looks just like John Landis.’ So, he wound up doing it.
What are the chances that your actor would have to quit, and there’d be the perfect replacement already on set? Pretty spooky stuff, but then again, King also said they could feel “Michael’s spirit” on the shoot as well. Check out what Fuqua also had to say about recreating “Thriller”:
[We] got the actual location where they filmed it. So we were able to do that, which is an incredible thing to do. But the hardest thing wasn't on us. It was really on Jafaar and those dancers to pull that off. That's an iconic dance move with all the zombies and everything. For us it kind of fell into place. It was a full moon every night.
As you can imagine, there was a lot of pressure on these filmmakers to bring “Thriller” back to life, which is credited with transforming music videos into mini-movies and is often thought of as the most famous work from the medium.
Jaafar Jackson is the nephew of Michael Jackson, who actually even grew up in the same home as Michael did in Encino, California. The 29-year-old newcomer to acting fully immersed himself in the role of Michael by consuming all the videos, interviews and more of his uncle, along with creating a “research room” full of helpful factoids about the singer and the time period the movie is set. But, of course, he also had to nail the dance moves and physicality of Michael, too. As King also added during our interview:
We had Rich and Tone [Taluega] who are Michael's choreographers from the History Tour. And I will say this, those zombies, the way they move in that amazing in that footage. That performance is incredible.
The “Thriller” music video is definitely close enough to the original to give any fan goosebumps. You can check out the original here:
CinemaBlend also talked to Antoine Fuqua and Graham King about the first time they saw Jafaar Jackson moonwalk along with how they decided to shoot the stadium sequences where Michael is playing for large audiences. So far, fans have had some really positive reactions to the movie, and Michael is heading toward being one of the most successful music biopics ever.
Check out our thoughts on whether there could be a Michael sequel or extended cut, and you can stay updated on what other 2026 movie releases are on the way here on CinemaBlend.
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