“Michael,” the story of Michael Jackson’s rise to superstardom, was supposed to begin in medias res with one of the darkest chapters of the singer’s life. In one scene from the film’s original script, the King of Pop stares at his reflection in the mirror, capturing his sorrowful gaze as police car lights flash behind him. It’s 1993, a decade after “Thriller” gripped the culture, and Jackson has just been accused of child molestation.
But the sequence with investigators who arrive at Neverland Ranch to search for evidence is one of many that were left on the cutting room floor. “Michael,” which Lionsgate will release in the United States on April 24, was supposed to explore the impact of the allegations on Jackson’s life, with much of its third act devoted to the scandal. But that finale was scrapped, along with any mention of the child molestation accusations, according to sources with knowledge of the production. That’s after attorneys for the Jackson estate, which served as a producer, realized there was a clause in a settlement with one of the singer’s accusers, Jordan Chandler, that barred the depiction or mention of him in any movie.
After the late-stage discovery, filmmakers went back to the drawing board to come up with a new ending. The process was further delayed after the house of screenwriter John Logan was damaged in the Palisades fire. As a result, “Michael,” which had been scheduled to land in theaters on April 18, 2025, was delayed to Oct. 3 before moving a final time to spring 2026.
Last June, the cast reassembled for 22 days of additional photography to shoot the new third act and flesh out scenes from earlier in the movie. Production, which had primarily taken place in Santa Barbara, restarted in Los Angeles but didn’t qualify for state tax rebates. That added $10 million to $15 million to the budget, according to sources with knowledge of similar projects. (“Michael” was greenlit for $155 million.) The Jackson estate shouldered those extra costs because its error necessitated the changes, insiders say. Because it was willing to foot that bill, the estate has an equity stake in the film, according to another individual with knowledge of the production.
Now, instead of concluding with one of the most ignominious moments in Jackson’s career, “Michael” will end with the pop star still at his zenith. The last scene is set during Jackson’s “Bad” tour, following him as he prepares to take the stage for another electrifying performance, according to a source who has seen the finished film. Indeed, the movie leans heavily into Jackson’s music, featuring one showstopper after another, and away from his sometimes bizarre personal behavior (“Michael” does include a sweet moment where Jackson buys toys for kids in the hospital). In the new version, the dramatic tension comes from the singer’s relationship with his domineering father, Joe Jackson, who doesn’t want his son’s solo career to come at the expense of the Jackson 5, the Motown group that put the family on the map. The film will also explore Jackson’s recovery from the severe scalp burns he received from a pyrotechnics accident during the filming of a 1984 Pepsi commercial, including the painkillers he started to abuse during that period. Michael Jackson will be portrayed by his real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson, while Joe will be played by Colman Domingo. Janet Jackson, the performer’s famous sister, is not a character in the movie, according to another insider.
Jackson’s attorney John Branca and estate archivist Karen Langford were consulted on production decisions, and the pop star’s son Prince (who served as executive producer), was a daily presence on set. The artist’s other two children — Bigi and Paris — had no involvement.
Though Jackson is one of the most popular musicians in history, he remains a controversial figure. His estate is aware of the shadow cast by the multiple child abuse allegations against the singer, according to knowledgeable executives. Jackson always asserted his innocence.
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However, the estate was encouraged by the global success of the jukebox musical “MJ,” which opened on Broadway in 2022 and embarked on a national tour in 2023. The show, which pointedly ends just before the 1993 allegations break, gave Jackson’s team confidence the public would be willing to embrace a sympathetic look at him. It’s one of only four new musicals since the pandemic that’s still running, and it has grossed over $300 million at the Broadway box office. The estate also considered the popularity of the Cirque du Soleil show “One” and the 2009 concert film “This Is It.”
Back in 2024, producer Graham King told exhibitors at CinemaCon he’d been preparing the movie for years, interviewing hundreds of people who knew Jackson as he determined how to condense the performer’s life into a single film. Because the original cut was more than three and a half hours, King hopes to turn “Michael” into a two-part story. Lionsgate and Universal (which is overseeing international distribution) believe there’s enough material for at least one more movie. The studios suggest roughly 30% of the material that was jettisoned from “Michael” could be reconstituted for potential sequels. It’s unclear how future films would handle the legal battles and abuse allegations that consumed much of Jackson’s final years. King has told the studios he would focus on the singer’s later albums, including 1991’s “Dangerous” and 2001’s “Invincible,” the purchase and construction of Neverland Ranch, as well as “his love of animals.”
Those discussions may soon heat up. Early tracking suggests “Michael” will open to more than $55 million at the domestic box office, which would be above 2018’s smash hit “Bohemian Rhapsody” ($51 million). Initial ticket sales could climb even higher as the release date nears. Direct comparisons are tough because “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which ended up earning a massive $910 million worldwide, was released before the pandemic. And post-COVID musical biopics like “A Complete Unknown” and “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” were smaller scale productions.
Internally, the studio hopes “Michael” will gross at least $700 million worldwide. Should “Michael” hit those heights, Jackson might moonwalk across the screen once again — ideally without the behind-the-scenes headaches.
From Variety US