The movie is coming from the producer of Bohemian Rhapsody and the writer of Gladiator.
Musician biopics are all the rage right now, and it was inevitable that Michael Jackson would get his own one. Most likely off the huge success of 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody, both commercially ($911 million worldwide on a $55 million budget) and critically (not so much reviews, but it did win four Oscars, including Best Actor for Rami Malek), musical biopics are very much all the rage in Hollywood right now.
In the few years since then, we’ve had Rocketman, Judy, Respect, Elvis and I Wanna Dance With Somebody, and there are also biopics on Madonna and Amy Winehouse currently in production. Even before Bohemian Rhapsody, recent music biopics such as Straight Outta Compton, Ray, 8 Mile and Walk The Line found massive success.
Now adding to this list is the Michael Jackson biopic, reportedly titled Michael, is coming from producer Graham King (Bohemian Rhapsody, The Departed) and writer John Logan (Gladiator, Skyfall). Additionally, the production has signed a director: Antoine Fuqua.
Fuqua has a bit of a chequered history when it comes to quality, with his CV containing the likes of Training Day, The Equalizer, Olympus Has Fallen, Shooter, King Arthur, Southpaw, and most recently, Will Smith’s first post-slap movie, Emancipation.
The movie is also being co-produced by John Branca and John McClain, who are the co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate. On the impending production, King said: “I first met the Jackson family in 1981 and I’m humbled to bring their legacy to the big screen. Sitting at Dodger Stadium watching the Victory Tour, I could never have imagined that nearly 38 years later I would get the privilege to be a part of this film.”
There has been no word yet on any casting, but expect there to be a wide net cast to find the right actor for the role. As the movie is currently in pre-production, it is unlikely we’ll see it arrive on the big screens before the end of 2024.
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