On deck for the next music biopic coming out of Hollywood is Michael, from director Antoine Fuqua. Of course, there is only one "Michael" who we all identify in pop music, the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. The movie has been years in the making, and we're finally going to see it as part of the 2026 movie schedule.
Here's everything we know about the Michael Jackson movie, including what we've learned from the first full trailer, which is expected to run during the Super Bowl in February 2026.
What Is The Michael Release Date?
After initially being scheduled for a fall 2025 release, we now know that Michael will be released on April 24th, 2026. By early 2025, it was clear that the movie was not going to hit its original scheduled release date and required what sounds like some extensive reshoots. This was the second time the release had been delayed, as it was initially planned for Spring 2025. So we're finally getting it about a year later than we thought we would.
The Michael Cast
The cast for Michael is great, including some well-known stars and some exciting newcomers, like Jaafar Jackson, who is playing Jacko himself.
Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson
Variety confirmed in January 2023 that Michael is keeping the casting in the family for its main star, meaning Michael Jackson's nephew, Jaafar Jackson, will portray the iconic singer.
The actor is the son of Jermaine Jackson, one of Michael Jackson's brothers, and a part of the Jackson 5, which started Michael on the road to super fame in the first place. The actor even shared his excitement for the role on Twitter, saying he was "humbled and honored" to be playing his uncle.
After watching the trailer, there is no question Antoine Fuqua was correct when he commented on Jaafar Jackson's casting in an interview with Entertainment Weekly in August 2023. Jackson is the spitting image of his uncle in every way, as Fuqua said:
It's uncanny how much he's like Michael. Sounds like him, dances like him, sings. It's really uncanny. Graham King, who is a fantastic producer, found him and introduced him to me, and I was blown away.
This will be Jaafar Jackson's first movie, which is remarkable enough in and of itself. Such high praise from Fuqua sets a bar to meet, but after seeing the teaser, which was released in November, it looks like he'll pull it off. The full trailer, which was released in February 2026, confirms it
Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson
In late January 2024, it was confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter that Colman Domingo had signed on to play Joe Jackson, the famous patriarch of the Jackson Family. Domingo has had an incredible run over the last few years. He's been nominated for Best Actor at the last two Oscars, first for 2023's Rustin, and then last year for Sing Sing. He has yet to take home the trophy, but that seems like a matter of time.
A complicated role like Joe Jackson, who was a controversial figure to say the least, might just be the exact kind of role to make that win happen.
Nia Long as Katherine Jackson
In late January 2024, Deadline announced that Nia Long would take on the role of Katherine Jackson, Michael’s mother. She starred as Lisa on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and had a leading role in Empire. And, of course, her many film roles in movies like the '90s stoner classic Friday, Soul Food, and one of the legendary and controversial Boyz n the Hood.
Long spoke to People about how much playing Katherine has meant to her:
was an opportunity of a lifetime — and not kind of a dream come true, a dream come true
Katherine, who is still around at age 95, was a huge figure in Michael Jackson's life, and there is no question this will be an important piece in the puzzle that is Michael.
Miles Teller as John Branca
Judging by the one quick shot of Miles Teller as John Branca in the Michael trailer, he looks a lot different than we'd usually expect. With long black hair, he does look a lot like the real-life Branca, who served as Jackson's lawyer and manager for years, and continues to administer the late King of Pop's estate.
Teller isn't a stranger to music movies, having crushed his role as a drummer in Whiplash in 2014, nor is he unfamiliar with playing real-life people, as he showed in The Offer, which you can watch with a Paramount+ subscription.
The Other Four Members Of The Jackson 5
Jayden Harville, Jaylen Lyndon Hunter, Judah Edwards, and Nathaniel Logan McIntyre will play Jermaine, Marlon, Tito, and Jackie in their younger years. The older versions of the brothers will be played by Jamal R. Henderson, Tre Horton, Rhyan Hill, and Joseph David-Jones, respectively.
Additional Cast Members
There have been some other actors confirmed for the film, including:
- Kendrick Sampson as Quincy Jones
- Jessica Sula as La Toya Jackson
- Derek Luke as Johnnie Cochran
- Kevin Shinick as Dick Clark
- Kat Graham as Diana Ross
- Larenz Tate as Berry Gordy
- Liv Symone as Gladys Knight
- KeiLyn Durrel Jones as Bill Bray
What Michael Will Be About
Michael Jackson has a heck of a history, from his time as a young child star in the Jackson 5 to his vast career as a soloist, releasing some of the most famous albums of all time. He's also had a lot of legal trouble as well, and several allegations thrown his way, even more than a decade after his death.
Thankfully, we have an idea of what Michael will be about, as reported by Variety when the film was confirmed to come out in 2025. The story will follow his life, from his rise to fame and the complicated life he faced, including his "personal struggles" and more, where fans will get an "inside look" into what his mind was like.
In March 2024, in a statement to Variety, Graham King, one of the producers on the movie, talked about how the film will take an unbiased look into the pop star’s life, and that while Jackson was a “complicated” person, he still had a legacy “worth exploring:”
Michael’s life was complicated. As a filmmaker, I look to humanize but not sanitize and present the most compelling, unbiased story I can capture in a single feature film and let the audience decide how they feel after watching it. Michael clearly remains an impactful, culturally relevant artist with a life and legacy worth exploring.
If the film truly is going to show everything it can about Michael’s life,I genuinely feel we are about to get a thorough biopic about this talented but complicated artist.
Antoine Fuqua Directed
As discussed above, Antoine Fuqua will be directing Michael. The director has been behind many popular franchises, including The Equalizer trilogy. Some of his other movies you might have heard of include King Arthur, The Guilty, The Magnificent Seven, Brooklyn's Finest, and Emancipation.
Fuqua has also worked as a producer on other films, such as Infinite and Bullet Train, so he's been all over the place regarding genre. But I feel he'll be great with Michael just from how he talks about the film in his interviews.
John Logan Wrote The Script
Something else that we know from the Variety article regarding the release date is that John Logan wrote the script for Michael.
The screenwriter is known for his writing credits on several critically acclaimed and blockbuster movies, such as Gladiator, Hugo, The Aviator, Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and two James Bond movies, Skyfall and Spectre.
With a resume like that, it's hard to imagine Michael not being a great story.
Michael Will Be Using Michael Jackson's Music
When Deadline confirmed that the movie was happening in November 2019, it was also confirmed that the Michael Jackson estate gave Graham King (one of the producers) the rights to use Jackson's music in the film and permitted him to make the film overall.
This is a significant deal when it comes to biopics about music stars. The most prominent example I can think of is when the Elvis estate slammed the new Priscilla movie regarding the portrayal of Elvis Presley. It's almost never a seamless process when an adaptation is made regarding these famous stars, but to hear that the estate gave the studio the rights to use the music and produce the film is great. It was even confirmed at CinemaCon 2024 that there are going to be “more than 30 songs” of Jackson’s career used in the film (via The Hollywood Reporter), so get prepared to dance.
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