After nearly half a decade in development, delays, reshoots, and more anticipation than almost any music film in recent memory, Michael is finally three weeks away from theaters. And Lionsgate just dropped the final trailer to make sure nobody forgets it.
Released Wednesday morning (April 8), the last look at Antoine Fuqua’s $155 million biopic opens with a young Michael Jackson staring at a cork board covered in sketches, lyric fragments, and index cards bearing the titles of what would become the greatest pop album of all time. “I’ve just got all these songs in my head,” he says. “I just gotta get them out.” Then “Beat It” kicks in, a glove goes on, and that’s all the convincing most fans are going to need.
Played by his real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson in his feature film debut, the King of Pop comes to life across the trailer’s most iconic moments: recording Off the Wall with producer Quincy Jones, performing with the Jacksons, moonwalking for the first time at the 1983 Motown 25 special, and standing at the Grammys in 1984 holding eight trophies. “This is what I was put on earth to do,” Jackson says in the trailer, in his unmistakable high-toned voice.
Jaafar’s uncanny resemblance to his uncle has been the defining story of this film’s rollout since day one. Director Fuqua has described his reaction to first seeing Jaafar in full hair and makeup as something close to shock. The first teaser, released last November, racked up 116 million views in 24 hours, making it the most-viewed trailer for any music biopic in history and the largest trailer debut Lionsgate has ever had.
The film traces Jackson’s journey from the Jackson 5 through his solo breakthrough, ending on the Bad Tour as he enters a new phase of stardom. An earlier version of the third act was reshot after a settlement agreement prevented the film from depicting certain allegations from Jackson’s past. The final film runs at a tighter cut than the original four-hour version Fuqua first assembled, which had briefly been considered as a two-part release before being condensed into one.
The ensemble cast backing Jaafar is substantial. Colman Domingo plays Joe Jackson, Nia Long is Katherine Jackson, Larenz Tate plays Berry Gordy, Kendrick Sampson plays Quincy Jones, Miles Teller plays attorney John Branca, Kat Graham plays Diana Ross, and Laura Harrier plays Suzanne de Passe. The MJ Estate is among the film’s producers.
Michael hits a limited number of screens in premium formats including IMAX on April 22, with its wide release following on April 24. The soundtrack, Michael: Songs from the Motion Picture, drops the same day. Lionsgate handles US distribution, with Universal managing the international rollout.
For fans who have been waiting since the project was announced back in 2019, the moonwalk scene alone is worth the price of admission.
Watch the full trailer below
