Michael Jackson film set to be a controversial hit

All the same, the allegations remain a part of Jackson’s life story, complicating the attempt to turn his life into a nine-figure Hollywood blockbuster. But given current demand for the pop star, it’s likely to be a big hit, too. Industry analysts are predicting that Michael will be even bigger than Bohemian Rhapsody.

Universal

If King had any initial doubts about the wisdom of giving Jackson the Bohemian Rhapsody treatment, they may have been allayed by the rise in his popularity since his death of a prescription drug overdose, aged 50, in 2009.

On Spotify, he currently has 64.8 million monthly listeners and 40.5 million followers, making him the streaming service’s 27th biggest artist in the world. His life and music are also the basis of a Cirque du Soleil spectacular, Michael Jackson ONE, which has been running in Las Vegas since 2013, and a Tony-winning jukebox show, MJ The Musical, which has been on Broadway since 2022. The biopic would just be the latest addition to the glittering Michael Jackson industry.

It was announced in January 2023 that Michael would be written by John Logan (Gladiator, The Aviator) and directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day). It was later confirmed that the starry cast would include Colman Domingo, Miles Teller and Nia Long, and that the lead role would be played by Jackson’s own nephew, Jaafar Jackson. And, as mentioned, its producer knows a thing or two about exultant pop biopics. In 2024, a spokesperson for the new film told the BBC in a statement: “From the beginning the Michael Jackson estate put their trust in Graham King, stepping out of the creative process.”