Freddy Mercury, Bob Marley, Edith Piaf, Elvis Presley… For several years now, biopics about music stars have been all the rage. In 2024, the public will discover the tragic story of Amy Winehouse, carried by Marisa Abela, but also the meteoric rise of Charles Aznavour, played by Tahar Rahim. Michael Jackson will also have the right to his feature film. The first images of the film, scheduled for April 2025, have just been revealed during a conference in Las Vegas, to the delight of American fans.
“The next biopic on the pop legend […] debuted with a dazzling and moving first glimpse at CinemaCon,” says the trade magazine Variety. It promises to be a comprehensive view of the musician’s life, including the emotional toll that superstardom took on the shy, quiet man behind the moonwalk.” The first images from the biopic show hysterical fans screaming alongside the singer as he takes the stage and performs his biggest hits. Man in the Mirror, Thriller, Beat It, Billie Jean… In total, “more than thirty songs are on the program,” says Variety.
Also read: Back to black on Amy Winehouse: musical biopics delight record labels, not moviegoers
The film Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Equalizer) and produced by Graham King (Bohemian Rhapsody), traces the artist’s life, from his beginnings with the Jackson 5 to his global solo success, including the controversies and accusations to which he was the subject. “He was a great artist. And he was human. So we will show the good, the bad,” confided Antoine Fuqua on the Good Morning America show last August. Graham King seems to share this opinion, saying during the conference that “behind the accusations and the spotlight, there is simply a man with a very complicated life,” reports Variety.
And to play the late singer, the film teams chose the young Jaafar Jackson, who is none other than the nephew of the king of pop. The photos of the actor, taken by Kevin Mazur, who accompanied Michael Jackson throughout his career, were revealed last month by Lionsgate studios. The resemblance between the two Jacksons is uncanny. And if the film about Michael Jackson is already controversial, one thing is certain, Jaafar Jackson is unanimous.