On Nov. 7, the teaser trailer for “Michael,” an upcoming Michael Jackson biopic directed by Antoine Fuqua, was released, giving the world its first glimpse of the film. Originally, the film was supposed to be released this fall, but had to be pushed back due to extensive reshoots. Now, the film is set to release April 24, 2026.
Online, the teaser has already amassed millions of views, likes and attention. In 24 hours, alone, the teaser accumulated over 116.2 million views, making it the most viewed biopic trailer in history and the biggest teaser debut in Lionsgate’s history.
The Michael Jackson estate’s X account’s teaser post stands at 276,000 likes and 52 million views. The Michael Jackson estate’s Instagram post has 3 million likes, while the Instagram account for the movie has 370,000 likes on the post. These numbers for a biopic are impressive and far surpass past biopics of acclaimed artists and public figures.
Though the teaser only clocks in at a mere minute and 13 seconds, we get to see how the biopic plans to approach many eras of Jackson’s life. One clip includes Jackson 5 era Michael Jackson, portrayed by Juliano Valdi, but all other eras will be portrayed by Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson. The teaser also gives a look at the late Quincy Jones, who will be played by Kendrick Sampson, and John Branca, played by Miles Teller.
The film also stars Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson, Nia Long as Katherine Jackson, Kat Graham as Diana Ross and Larenz Tate as Motown founder Berry Gordy.
There were rumors the film would be split into two parts for a number of reasons ranging from legal issues, reshoots and lengthy runtime. Chair of Lionsgate's Motion Picture Group, Adam Fogelson addressed this saying they were unprepared to confirm plans for a follow-up film. Speculation around this is still high considering the teaser seemed to only portray Jackson’s childhood all the way up until his late ‘80s stardom.
Fuqua, known for “Training Day,” “The Equalizer” and “Southpaw” also addressed the contents of the biopic in a 2023 interview with the Associated Press.
“Just the facts, really as we know them from, you know, his discovery all the way up through Wimbledon, through the allegations, all that,” Fuqua said.
The official synopsis gives more insight on the film.
“Highlighting both his life off-stage and some of the most iconic performances from his early solo career, the film gives audiences a front-row seat to Michael Jackson as never before. This is where his story begins.”
There are other biopics about Jackson’s life, such as the 1992 “The Jacksons: An American Dream” TV mini series, the 2004 TV movie “Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story” and the 2017 TV movie “Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland.” “Michael” is the first Jackson biopic with a theatrical release and big-budget production.
