Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” has had a long path to the screen. The film was supposed to arrive this year but got pushed back until 2026 due to the need for some serious reshoots.
Now, Puck’s Matthew Belloni reports that the reshoots are completed with the film now featuring a different ending. Originally, the third act reportedly touched on Jackson’s sexual abuse allegations in the early 1990s.
However, the Jackson estate and the pop star’s accuser had an existing agreement stating that Jackson’s accuser should not be included in the film. Belloni says:
“Additional photography has now wrapped, and the film ends after Jackson’s triumphant rise to fame in the ’80s. So all the footage of MJ’s later King of Pop (and scandal-plagued) years, including two weeks of shooting at Neverland Ranch, now owned by Ron Burkle, is unusable.”
That’s not the only issue though. The first cut of the film originally clocked in at nearly four hours with Lionsgate considering splitting it into two movies. Because of the reshoots and the huge financial gamble of the film though, a second movie is not guaranteed.
“Producer Graham King’s plan is to make a second Michael movie that would include all that stuff, plus a significant amount of additional, yet-to-be-shot footage with stars Jaafar Jackson, Colman Domingo, and Miles Teller, but that will now depend on — yes, you guessed it — how the film is received by audiences next April. If it’s a hit, or if all signs are pointing that direction, they greenlight part two, and if not, producers eat all that unused footage.”
Michael Jackson’s real life nephew Jafaar Jackson is playing Michael in the film which also stars Colman Domingo, Nia Long, Miles Teller, Laura Harrier, Kat Graham, Larenz Tate, and Derek Luke.
John Logan penned the script for the film which will release its first trailer with showings of “Wicked: For Good: in November.
“Michael” opens in theaters on April 24th 2026.
