04/05/2026
Michael Jackson's nephew, the son of his brother Jermaine, is the one playing him in the new biopic. He's 29, his name is Jaafar, and watching him on screen is unsettling in the best possible way 🎤
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Jaafar Jeremiah Jackson was born in 1996, three years before his uncle's career started its slow public unraveling. He grew up in the Jackson family. He was raised on the same music, the same dance moves, the same myth. He's been singing covers of Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye since he was 12. He looks just enough like his uncle to make people forget what they're watching
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The biopic, simply titled "Michael," released in late April 2026. It's directed by Antoine Fuqua, the man behind "Training Day" and "The Equalizer." The casting process took two years. When it was finally announced in December 2023, Michael's mother Katherine said her grandson "embodies" her son
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The opening weekend pulled $217 million globally. Highest opening ever for a music biopic
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Critics are split. The performances are being praised, especially Jaafar's recreation of the Motown 25 moonwalk. The film itself has been criticized for skipping over the harder parts of Michael's life entirely. The ending of the movie is the Bad tour. There is no mention of the allegations
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Michael's son Prince produced the film. His daughter Paris filed legal objections about how it was made. The Jackson family's relationship to its own legacy is, as always, complicated 🎤
