The most anticipated music biopic in years lands in theaters on April 24, 2026 — and it arrives with more drama behind the camera than in front of it. Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson as his legendary uncle, is tracking for a record-breaking opening weekend. Here's everything you need to know before buying your ticket.
- Title: Michael
- Director: Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Equalizer)
- Screenplay: John Logan (Gladiator, The Aviator)
- Release Date: April 24, 2026
- Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes (PG-13)
- Budget: ~$155 million (plus $15M in reshoots)
- Distributor: Lionsgate (US) / Universal (international)
The Cast: A Family Affair
The most talked-about casting choice is Jaafar Jackson — Michael's real-life nephew and son of Jermaine Jackson — taking the lead role in his acting debut. Early critics say the resemblance is "genuinely uncanny," and his moonwalk sequences in the trailer already generated massive buzz.
He's backed by a strong ensemble:
- Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson, Michael's domineering father
- Nia Long as Katherine Jackson
- Miles Teller as John Branca, MJ's longtime attorney
- Kat Graham as Diana Ross
- Larenz Tate as Berry Gordy
- Jessica Sula as La Toya Jackson
- Kendrick Sampson as Quincy Jones
- Juliano Krue Valdi as young Michael Jackson
The casting of Miles Teller as attorney John Branca became a flashpoint — more on that below.
What the Film Actually Covers
Michael spans Jackson's life from his childhood in Gary, Indiana through the Jackson 5 era and into his rise as the undisputed King of Pop. The film's emotional core is the relationship between Michael and his father Joe, who relentlessly pushed his children toward stardom while using fear and physical discipline as his primary tools.
A pivotal scene expected to hit hard: the 1984 Pepsi commercial shoot, where pyrotechnics malfunctioned and burned MJ's scalp severely. Screenwriter John Logan uses this as the hinge point for Jackson's decades-long dependency on prescription painkillers — framing it as a wound, not a weakness.
The Reshoot Controversy Explained
This is the story behind the story — and it's genuinely wild.
The film's original ending featured a significant dramatization of the child molestation allegations against Jackson. That ending was completely scrapped and reshot after estate attorneys discovered a clause buried in the 1993 Jordan Chandler civil settlement: the agreement legally bars depicting or naming Chandler in any film or dramatization.
The result is a film that addresses Jackson's legal troubles obliquely rather than head-on. Critics are divided on whether this makes the film dishonest or simply focused — a portrait of the artist rather than a courtroom drama.
Paris Jackson vs. The Estate
Michael's daughter Paris Jackson went public with sharp criticism of the production before its release. Her specific targets:
- The reshoot spending — questioning why the estate paid $15M+ for reshoots while fighting other Jackson heirs over inheritance
- Miles Teller's casting — accusing John Branca of using the film to "aggrandize himself" by ensuring his on-screen portrayal was played by a major Hollywood star
The Jackson estate publicly responded, defending both decisions. The public feud added another layer of controversy to an already scrutinized project.
First Reactions: Better Than Expected
Screening reactions from early audiences and critics have been strongly positive. ScreenRant's Liam Crowley called it "why we go to the movies." The consensus across early reviews praises the musical performance sequences as transformative, while noting the biographical framing stays in safe territory.
Jaafar Jackson's physical performance — the dancing, the vocal mannerisms, the stage presence — is being called "genuinely uncanny" by multiple reviewers. Whether his acting holds up in dramatic scenes is the remaining question heading into opening weekend.
Should You Watch It?
If you're a Michael Jackson fan — yes, obviously. The film is built for you, and Jaafar Jackson's performance alone appears worth the ticket price.
If you're expecting a warts-and-all biographical examination of one of history's most complicated celebrities, temper your expectations. The settlement clause that forced those reshoots isn't a technicality — it's a structural limitation on how honest the film can be about the most contested chapter of Jackson's life.
What Michael appears to offer is a spectacular portrait of an artist's rise: the music, the dancing, the impossible talent, the father who both created and damaged him. It doesn't answer the hardest questions about Jackson's legacy. It may not have been legally allowed to.
Michael opens in theaters worldwide on April 24, 2026.
