Lionsgate and Universal Pictures have announced a new biographical drama titled Michael. The studios issued a brief promotional announcement revealing the project and its subject: the life and artistic career of Michael Jackson.
The film will chronicle Jackson's life and work. Antoine Fuqua, known for Training Day and Shooter, is directing, while the screenplay is written by John Logan, whose credits include Gladiator and The Last Samurai. The production names Graham King among its producers, alongside representatives of the Michael Jackson Estate, the organization that manages the late artist's remaining property rights.
Jaafar Jackson, the singer's nephew, has been cast in the title role. The studios have set the film's release date for April 24, 2026.
Michael Jackson remains one of the most influential and popular figures in modern music, long known by the press as the 'King of Pop.' Over the course of his career he won fifteen Grammy Awards and sold well over a billion records worldwide. Jackson died in 2009 at the age of 50.
The involvement of the Michael Jackson Estate as a producing party signals formal cooperation with the team behind the project and access to the rights the estate controls. The announced creative team combines filmmakers with histories of large-scale dramatic work and period storytelling, underlining the studios' intent to present a comprehensive biographical picture.