After a long buildup, the first trailer for “Michael” has arrived, putting Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic in front of audiences ahead of its April 24 theatrical release. The film stars Jaafar Jackson as Michael, with Juliano Krue Valdi playing the younger version of the singer, and the official setup frames the movie as a look at Jackson’s life beyond the stage—from his emergence with the Jackson 5 to the creative drive that turned him into one of the biggest entertainers in the world.
Written by John Logan and produced by Graham King, John Branca, and John McClain, the film is being pitched as both a backstage portrait and a performance-driven studio event. The official synopsis says the story will highlight Michael Jackson’s offstage life alongside recreations of some of the most iconic performances from his early solo years, giving the project the shape of a large-scale musical drama rather than a narrow industry biopic.
That polished rise-to-icon framing now comes with a little more context. Officially, “Michael” is being sold as a sweeping look at Jackson’s life beyond the music, from the Jackson 5 through his ascent into global superstardom. But reporting this week said the film underwent major reshoots in 2025 after legal issues forced the removal of material tied to the 1993 child sexual abuse allegations against Jackson, with the final act reportedly reworked at high cost.
Per that reporting, the film now ends at the height of Jackson’s fame during the “Bad” tour, shifting the dramatic emphasis away from those allegations and more toward his relationship with his father, Joe Jackson. That does not change the scale of the production or the studio’s performance-driven pitch, but it does add another layer to how this film is being shaped—and which parts of Jackson’s life it is foregrounding. This, in turn, could lead to a sequel if the movie performs well at the box office.
The cast also includes Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Miles Teller, and Colman Domingo, with Teller playing Jackson attorney-manager John Branca and Domingo playing Joe Jackson. Long co-stars as Katherine Jackson, while the film rounds out its family-and-inner-circle framing with a supporting ensemble built around Jackson’s rise from child prodigy to global pop phenomenon.
The movie has been rated PG-13 for some thematic material, language, and smoking, and Lionsgate is releasing it in theaters and IMAX on April 24, 2026. For a project this large—and this heavily scrutinized—the trailer is the first real chance for audiences to see how Fuqua, Logan, and Jaafar Jackson plan to shape a story that has to sell both the mythology and the man.
“Michael” opens in theaters on April 24, 2026. Watch the trailer below.
