The Michael Trailer Looks Like Every Miserable, Boring Biopic Walk Hard Tried To Warn Us About

The last few years have given us a bevy of musical biopics, all of which range from the more conventional (Jeremy Allen White just starred in "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere," which sort of came and went quietly) to James Mangold's safe but enjoyable "A Complete Unknown" starring Timothée Chalamet to the completely absurd and entertainingly gonzo — looking at you in all your wild, underrated glory, "Better Man."

Somewhere in the middle of all this resides "Michael," the Michael Jackson biopic we've all been holding our breaths about ever since the title was first announced. Look, there's no getting around the fact that Jackson was the greatest pop star this planet has ever seen ... just as there's no ignoring the wealth of credible sexual abuse allegations surrounding the controversial figure for decades (including those chronicled in the documentary "Leaving Neverland"). No one film could ever hope to encompass every complex and contradictory aspect that truly made Michael Jackson into Michael Jackson, but it would've been nice to see an actual attempt.

We weren't sure "Michael" would count, in that regard, and we remain skeptical even after the first official trailer. Just days before this year's Super Bowl, Lionsgate has dropped our initial, extended look at the upcoming film, and, well, we'll let you be the judge. Check out the footage above.

Is this your king of pop? Ever since "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" arrived in 2007 and lampooned every other musical biopic within an inch of their life, you'd think Hollywood would've taken that to heart and tried to avoid every trope satirized in that nearly two decade old gem. But apparently not, as the first official trailer for "Michael" would have us believe — from its on-the-nose needle drops to the shots of squealing fans at jam-packed concerts and family dinners with a dad unironically spouting clichés like "In this life, you're either a winner or you're a loser." It's a lot to pack into a two-minute trailer, but "Michael" finds a way to justify every single fear we had going in.

And none of that will likely matter in the least. Despite all the behind-the-scenes drama and the rather uninspiring footage, we can't escape the reality that people love them some Michael Jackson. And as the billion dollar-grossing "Bohemian Rhapsody" proved in 2018, even the most squirrelly of audiences will turn out in droves to be reminded of all the classic songs and performances they know and adore. Indeed, with the Michael Jackson estate rubber stamping this particular biopic and granting access to the artist's entire catalog (and, in the process, ignoring every real-world controversy and allegation surrounding him), this is as safe and low-risk a bet as it gets. It definitely looks the part, that's for sure.

"Michael" comes from director Antoine Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan. It stars Michael Jackson's real-life nephew, Jaafar Jackson, as the title character, who'll be joined by Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Juliano Krue Valdi, Miles Teller, and Colman Domingo. The biopic hits theaters on April 24, 2026.