We are getting some insight on what the second Michael biopic will be about. Speaking with GQ Middle East, the star of the film, Michael Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, revealed the sequel will address the criticism and child sexual abuse allegations of the 1990s.
“This first film focuses on Michael from his roots,” Jaafar Jackson said. “So you get that idea of who he was before he had all the success and became the icon that people are familiar with, you understand who he was as a human being first, because at the end of the day, that’s who he was in the ’90s until he passed.
“He never changed that purity, that sense of always wanting to find the good in other people. And no matter all the stuff he went through, how he was treated, what things were said about him, he never stopped treating people with kindness. He never stopped believing in and wanting to look for the good in people… even though he was broken, his heart still stayed the same… I hope that this is felt in the second movie.”
The sequel to Lionsgate’s $1 billion-plus Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, is targeting a production start toward the end of 2026 or early 2027.
Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chairman Adam Fogelson shared the update with Deadline, saying the studio is aiming to begin production “towards the end of this year or early next.”
As for when audiences could see the sequel, Fogelson said the current thinking places the film’s release sometime between the end of 2027 and the first half of 2028.
The update provides the first production timeline for Michael 2 following the blockbuster performance of the original Michael Jackson biopic.
Last month, Michael officially became the highest-grossing biopic in box office history, earning $977 million worldwide and surpassing Oppenheimer‘s $975 million global total.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Michael Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, the film has generated $370.2 million domestically and $607.2 million internationally since its April release.
The milestone places Michael on the verge of the $1 billion mark while also becoming Lionsgate’s biggest movie ever, overtaking The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
Following the film’s record-breaking success, Lionsgate is reportedly planning at least one sequel.