he Michael Jackson biopic Michael is now set to hit theaters April 24, 2026, including IMAX. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, it stars Jaafar Jackson as Michael and Juliano Krue Valdi as the younger version, with Colman Domingo and Nia Long as Joe and Katherine Jackson.
Scripted by John Logan and produced by Graham King, it’s being pitched as a big, awards‑leaning musical drama with more than 30 songs spanning Jackson 5 cuts through his early solo career. The story is expected to build toward the Off the Wall era, with the team leaving room for a second film to handle the Thriller years and after.
The release date was pushed from 2025 to spring 2026 after delays and rewrites around how to handle Jackson’s later controversies and legal constraints on depicting at least one accuser. Early stills and the first trailer lean into Jaafar’s physical and performance resemblance, positioning Michael as a major fan event—and a likely flashpoint once audiences see how far it goes in addressing the darker parts of his story.
