Michael Jackson described his time in the Jackson 5 as filled with physical abuse by his father, with the whole experience robbing him of his childhood — but in the relentlessly upbeat first trailer for Michael, we see only family fun in glimpses of that period. Overall, the teaser presents an entirely triumphant view of a life that, even in Jackson’s own telling, had its share of strife and unhappiness, even as he created some of the greatest and most influential pop and R&B of the 20th century.
The preview opens with Jackson (played by his nephew Jaafar Jackson) in a recording studio with producer Quincy Jones (Kendrick Sampson). “I know you’ve been waiting a long time for this,” Jones says. “The tracks are made, the songs are ready. Let’s take it from the top.” Set to Jackson’s 1982 classic “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” the trailer goes on to show career highlights, including the making of Thriller.
The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua, wrapped production in May 2024, but the Jackson estate reportedly discovered that the completed film violated a decades-old legal agreement with the family of Jordan Chandler, who accused Jackson of molesting him in 1993 when Chandler was 13. Puck reported that the original script made the Chandler case central to the film’s third act, portraying Jackson as an alleged victim of extortion.
The estate reportedly overlooked the legal issue during script approval, forcing extensive reshoots in March 2025. The film’s release date was initially scheduled for April 2025, but was then moved to October 2025, and subsequently to April 2026. Early reports indicated a nearly four-hour cut that Lionsgate considered splitting into two films.
Jackson’s daughter, Paris Jackson, distanced herself from the project after Domingo told People Magazine that she and her brother, Prince, were “very much in support” of the film. “Don’t be telling people I was ‘helpful’ on the set of a movie I had 0% involvement in,” she wrote on Instagram. Paris said she read an early script and provided notes about inaccuracies and “full-blown lies,” but producers ignored her concerns. “The film panders to a very specific section of my dad’s fandom that still lives in the fantasy,” she said. “And they’re going to be happy with it.”
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Dan Reed, director of HBO’s 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, which focuses on two men who accuse Jackson of sexual abuse, has repeatedly criticized the biopic as a “complete whitewash.” Earlier this month, the Financial Times reported that the estate reached a $2.5 million settlement this year with a separate set of accusers. Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who appeared in Leaving Neverland, have a negligence lawsuit against Jackson’s production companies scheduled for trial in 2026. Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges in a 2005 criminal trial, and the estate has consistently denied all allegations.
The film’s cast also includes Miles Teller as Jackson’s attorney, John Branca; Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson; Nia Long as Katherine Jackson; Jessica Sula as LaToya Jackson; Larenz Tate as Motown founder Berry Gordy; Laura Harrier as music executive Suzanne de Passe; and Kat Graham as Diana Ross. Graham King, who produced Bohemian Rhapsody, serves as producer alongside Branca and John McClain, co-executors of the Jackson estate.
