A larger than life Michael Jackson, played by his nephew

The first images of the biopic on Michael Jackson, entitled Michael, were revealed Tuesday February 13 on social networks by Lionsgate studios. We discover Jaafar Jackson in the shoes of his uncle, the king of pop.

Jaafar Jackson is dressed in the iconic white outfit worn by the singer from 1992 to 1993 during his Dangerous Tour. In the photo, the 27-year-old young man shows himself singing. And if this first image is disconcerting, as it seems so realistic, it is also thanks to the talent of photographer Kevin Mazur, who had worked with Michael Jackson throughout his career and in particular on the last rehearsals of his show This is it, Variety reported.

The Michael biopic is not unanimous. The project was heavily criticized last year by Dan Reed, the director of Leaving Neverland, a documentary which traces accusations of pedophilia against the pop star. “Why is no one calling for the cancellation of this film which will glorify a man who raped children?” Reed was outraged in The Guardian in February 2023.

Also readMichael Jackson's former bodyguard refutes pedophilia accusations

Comments which did not fail to provoke a reaction from Antoine Fuqua, the director of the biopic, who also worked on the saga The Equalizer and The Seven Mercenaries. The filmmaker actually indicated almost five months ago, during the show Good Morning America, that his film would reveal “the good and the bad” side of the pop star’s life. “We will tell what happened, and it will be up to the spectators to sort things out,” he said on the set of the American show.

The biopic is produced by Lionsgate and by Graham King, who was notably at the helm of Bohemian Rhapsody, the biopic on the group Queen which was, at the time of its release in 2018, widely criticized for having embellished the sexuality of Freddie Mercury. The biopic Michael is expected in theaters in April 2025.