The Michael Jackson biopic from Lionsgate, starring the late King of Pop’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, has been delayed for a third time amid ongoing issues with both the production process and the late singer’s estate.
The highly-anticipated movie about the Thriller artist is not slated to arrive in theaters worldwide on Friday, April 24, 2026, sources told Deadline on Wednesday.
The Antoine Fuqua–directed, Graham King–produced movie, titled Michael, was initially expected in theaters on April 18 of this year, and then pushed back to October 3.
Insiders told Deadline that a second motion picture about the Billie Jean artist, who died at 50 in June 2009, is currently in development.
Sources told the outlet that part of the delay is tied to ‘distribution plans’ for the motion picture, which is also slated to be released via IMAX screens.
One of the reasons behind the delayed release of the film is its excessive running time, sources told the outlet, as an initial edit of the film ran for more than 3 1/2 hours.
The upcoming Michael Jackson biopic from Lionsgate, starring the late King of Pop’s nephew Jaafar Jackson (pictured in a promotional shot for the movie), has been delayed for a third time
A second motion picture about the artist, who died at 50 in June 2009, is currently in development; the late King of Pop is pictured in 2006 in London
Specific references to Jordan Chandler, a person who accused Jackson of sexual abuse, had to be edited out of an early draft of the movie due to a pre-existing agreement, the outlet reported, leading to further delays.
After news of the delay spread, Jackson’s fans shared their outrage in the comments of a post sharing the Deadline article.
‘Praying & hoping it’s worth the wait,’ one person wrote.
Another obviously annoyed fan wrote, ‘CAN YOU JUST PICK A DATE. DAMN.’
Others suggested fans should ‘have faith’ and pray for the movie to be released on its intended date going forward.
‘They keep moving it 😢😢😉,’ added another user.
But some disappointed fans weren’t especially shocked by the new delay.
‘I’m definitely bummed but not surprised,’ one person admitted. ‘There has been so much going on behind-the-scenes, particularly in regard to the scale so there was no way they were gonna be ready.’
After news of the delay spread, Jackson’s fans shared their outrage in the comments of a post sharing the Deadline article
Fans were almost unanimously disappointed, though some at least understood why the complicated production didn’t make its original release dates
Jaafar, who is the son of Jermaine Jackson and Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza, filmed scenes for the biopic last year in Los Angeles.
Jaafar filmed a sequence recreating the iconic Thriller video in March of 2024 in Encino, California; and in May of 2024 in downtown Los Angeles.
A trailer for the film aired to a strong reaction in April 2024 at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
In the preview, a voice attributed to that of his mother Katherine Jackson could be heard giving her son words of encouragement.
‘There might be some people who think you’re different and that’s gonna make life a little harder for you,’ she said.
She continued: ‘But you never were like anyone else. Michael, you have a very special light — so make that light shine onto the world.’
A voice attributed to the Man In The Mirror singer is heard saying, ‘When I’m not onstage everything feels foreign to me.’
The film is expected to explore all aspects of Jackson’s life and career, including his legal issues.
The Antoine Fuqua-directed movie, titled Michael, stars the late King of Pop’s nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role; pictured with Nia Long in 2024 in LA
Jafar last year took to Instagram showing off his efforts mimicking the late Beat It artist
Jackson was pictured onstage in the Netherlands in 1992
Among them is the 1993 lawsuit in which he was accused of sexual abuse of a child, which he eventually settled. (It was unclear how much of that situation would be explored in the movie due to the aforementioned complications.)
He also faced trial in Santa Barbara, California, in 2005, in connection with separate claims of child sexual abuse, of which he was acquitted.
The movie costars Colman Domingo and Nia Long in the roles of Jackson’s parents, Joe and Katherine Jackson.
Rounding out the cast are Miles Teller, Laura Harrier, Kat Graham, Larenz Tate and Jessica Sula.
King was previously the producer of the 2018 Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, which garnered more than $900 million at the box office and collected four Academy Awards.
