Michael Footage Reaction: The Michael Jackson Biopic Looks (And Sounds) Downright Scary [CinemaCon 2024]
Hollywood has been obsessed with biopics for what seems like forever, but it's hard not to admit that our current film landscape is reaching critical mass with movies about famous people. I guess when they've run out of recognizable IP, they've gotta center stories about recognizable faces instead. Last year alone we saw "Maestro," "The Iron Claw," "Napoleon," "Ferrari," "Nyad," "Priscilla," and "Big George Forman," not to mention brand movies like "Blackberry," "Tetris," "Air," and "Barbie." And then, of course, there's "Oppenheimer," which not only took home seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, but also became the highest-grossing biopic of all time. No shade to our boy Oppy, but it seems like a new film from Antoine Fuqua is coming for that title and the fact it's a movie about the most famous musical performer to ever live certainly gives the project a leg up on the father of the atomic bomb. I'm talking, of course, about "Michael," the biopic about the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
Following the life and career of Michael Jackson, "Michael" is directed by Fuqua from a script by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter John Logan ("Gladiator," "The Aviator," "Skyfall"). The film stars Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson in his feature film debut, with a supporting cast including Academy Award-nominated actor Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson, Nia Long as Katherine Jackson, and Miles Teller as John Branca (the co-executor of the Michael Jackson estate). Additional cast includes Laura Harrier, Kat Graham, Larenz Tate, Jessica Sula, Liv Symone, Kevin Shinick, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, and Kendrick Sampson.
While "Michael" is currently only halfway through production, /Film's Ryan Scott is on the ground at CinemaCon 2024 where Lionsgate gave fans a first look at the film. The results are apparently so accurate it's scary.
The King of Pop lives
Note: the above image is from Michael Jackson's official music video for "Thriller" as there are no other available images from "Michael."
Producer Graham King promised that the film would feature 30 songs spanning Michael Jackson's entire career. "Behind the unrelenting scrutiny and the accusations and the blinding media spotlight, he was simply a man. A man who lived a very complicated life," said King. "The movie will get into all of it." The footage shown at CinemaCon began with a slow-motion shot of a theater, while the Jackson 5 plays in the background. There was a voiceover of Michael Jackson speaking, and it sounded absolutely spot-on. There were also a variety of recreations of his iconic performances, including from "Off the Wall." As Scott reports, "It all looks eerie it's so accurate. Katherine Jackson then told a young Michael Jackson, "There might be some people who think you're different and that's going to make life a little harder for you, but you never were like anyone else."
This was followed by shots of Michael's younger years interwoven with images of his monumental fame, with much of the montage set to "Man in the Mirror." According to Scott, "It is scary how accurate it all looks." The footage then showcased another montage at the end, highlighting the good, the bad, and the ugly moments of Jackson's life: drugs, ambulance rides, and the dark side of fame. "When I'm not on stage, everything feels foreign to me," Michael says. It certainly sounds like this will be a birth-to-death biopic for The Gloved One, and with his direct family's support, it'll be interesting what is given the central focus, but more importantly ... what might be omitted.
"Michael" is currently scheduled for theatrical release on April 18, 2025.