The trailer for Antoine Fuqua’s Michael is finally here, and it’s exactly what you’d expect from a studio desperate for an emotional comeback story. Set to hit theaters on April 24, 2026, this long-brewing Michael Jackson biopic has already danced through more production drama than Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman combined—and that’s saying something.
For starters, the movie you’ll see next year isn’t the movie Fuqua originally made. After a messy rights dispute involving one of Jackson’s former accusers, a large chunk of already-filmed scenes were deemed unusable. That forced Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan to rebuild the story from the ground up. The final version now ends in the mid-1980s. That’s right when Jackson’s fame hit its peak and his sequined glove became global currency. Everything after that is gone. Two full weeks of footage shot at Neverland Ranch, deleted.
Reshoots quietly wrapped in September, giving us what Fuqua now calls “a complete story,” though insiders hint that the original cut ran close to four hours. Lionsgate initially wanted to split it into two parts, Wicked-style. You know, a prestige event film that could print awards and ticket sales. Instead, we’re getting only the first half of what might’ve been a sprawling two-part epic about the most famous performer on Earth.
Producer Graham King isn’t giving up, though. He’s already teasing a follow-up that would cover Jackson’s “King of Pop” years with Jaafar Jackson (yes, Michael’s real-life nephew) reprising the role, alongside Colman Domingo and Miles Teller. The catch is that it only happens if Michael hits big. If it flops, all that leftover footage turns into one very expensive mistake. The Jackson estate, which has already been footing the bill for this cinematic circus, could end up taking the hit.
So what we’re left with now is half a biopic that could’ve been twice as fascinating. Still, if the trailer’s anything to go by, Michael looks ready to moonwalk into awards season with Fuqua’s usual slick direction and a performance that might surprise everyone.
RELATED: The Michael Jackson Movie Is Done, But You’ll Never See the Whole Thing
