Subscribe
Follow Us
The King of Pop Michael Jackson's biopic from Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International will be released on April 18, Deadline reported.
Lionsgate announced late last year that production will start on Jan. 22 for the Antoine Fuqua-helmed film. The biopic Michael will star the icon's nephew Jaafar Jackson. Universal will distribute the film internationally except Japan, while Lionsgate will handle distribution stateside.
Jaafar is Michael's 27-year-old nephew and the son of former Jackson 5 member and soloist Jermaine Jackson.
Fuqua told EW about Jaafar's casting, “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.”
The Antoine Fuqua-helmed film will be directed from three time Academy-Award nominee John Logan. The movie will be produced by Graham King, alongside the executors of the Michael Jackson estate, John Branca and John McCalin.
The biopic will showcase all aspects of the complicated pop icon's life, including the performances that have made him one of the most beloved and admired entertainers of all time.
“Michael's decades-long career left an indelible mark on the way audiences experience entertainment all over the world. We are thrilled to be partnering with out friends at Universal to give global audiences new insight to the complex life of one of the most prolific artists the world has ever known,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Joe Drake said.
How the entertainment industry keeps Michael Jackson's legacy alive
Since Michael's death in June 2009 at age 50, his music has inspired several successful shows. One of these is the Tony Award-winning stage hit MJ the Musical. The musical is based on the legend's life, and still plays to sold-out Broadway. It has toured across North America and has opened in Hamburg. It will also be on London's West end this spring.
The Cirque du Soleil has produced Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour and Michael Jackson ONE. The shows are on the 10 touring shows of all time and top Las Vegas attraction list, respectively. The concert documentary Michael Jackson's This Is It is still the highest grossing concert documentary globally.
King previously said in a statement, “I'm so honored to tell Michael's story. It's been a long journey and I'm excited for the film to show audiences around the world a perspective of Michael that they've never seen.”
Even though the estates of musical legends can have some input in how the narrative of the artist's life is told, Fuqua stated that his Michael Jackson biopic will show audiences Michael's story “as we know it.” He added that the film will also discuss the controversies that Michael was involved with when was still alive.
Fuqua said in an interview, “Just to tell the facts as we know it, about the artist, about the man, about the human being. You know, the good, bad and the ugly.”
Graham also said in a statement, “I'm so honored to tell Michael's story. It's been a long journey and I'm excited for the film to show audiences around the world a perspective of Michael that they've never seen.”
Michael will be released in theaters April 18.
