Michael Jackson’s Nephew Jaafar Jackson Will Play Him In The King Of Pop’s Upcoming Biopic
The person who will play Michael Jackson in the upcoming biopic titled Michael will be family, and it is no other than Michael Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson. Deadline released the news.
Jaafar is Jermaine Jackson’s son, Michael’s brother, and was also part of the well-loved The Jackson 5. His mother is Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza.
Jaafar has the performing streak in his blood, given that the 26-year-old has also been dancing and singing since he was 12. He was one of the many new Jackson generations who followed the famous family’s footsteps.
Recall that the King of Pop died in 2019 from a cocktail of sedatives that led to a cardiac arrest. He was just 50 years old.
This biopic will be produced by GK Films and with John McClain and John Branca, co-executors of the late Michael’s estate. Antoine Fuque will take the seat as director, and this will be for Lionsgate.
When Jaafar got the role, he expressed his gratitude through his Twitter account, where he shared, “I’m humbled and honored to bring my Uncle Michael’s story to life. To all the fans worldwide, I’ll see you soon.”
He accompanied his post with a black and white picture of himself dressed in his uncle’s signature look of striped pants, white shirt, jacket, shoes, and hat in the King of Pop’s signature pose.
The film’s director, 56-year-old Antoine Fuque, has made a name for himself for the movie franchise, The Equalizer and Training Day. For the Michael biopic, he will work with Graham King, an Oscar-winning producer.
In a statement, Antoine shared, “The first films of my career were music videos, and I still feel that combining film and music is a deep part of who I am.”
He elaborated, “For me, there is no artist with the power, the charisma, and the sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson. I was influenced to make music videos by watching his work – the first Black artist to play in heavy rotation on MTV.”
The director further shared that Michael Jackson’s music and the mere image of the King of Pop have always been part of his worldview, and having the opportunity to share Michael’s story on the big screen with his music was too tempting for him. The excitement of the director was evident.
Deadline reported that studio mogul Lionsgate was the one to pick up the movie’s distribution film, and John Logan was selected to write the biopic. John Logan’s best-acclaimed work was Gladiator.
Lionsgate’s official statement mentioned that the upcoming film will be “an in-depth portrayal of a complicated man who became the King of Pop.”
The studio promises that the biopic will bring Michael’s most iconic musical performances to life and share a more informed insight into the artist’s personal life and artistic processes.
Indeed, the life of The Thriller singer has been intriguing and impressive. Ever since he was young and as a member of The Jackson 5, there was that spark and mystery in Michael, and his family has expressed support in the upcoming biopic, noting that they feel honored to share their story and see Michael’s life come alive.
The biopic will cover Michael’s life as a young child, as a member of i, and the criminal and civil lawsuits he faced until his death.
