Con trailersynopsis and confirmed cast of Michaelthe biographical film of Michael Jackson It leaves us with a big question: Will you address the accusations of child sexual abuse against the singer?
Several of the project’s protagonists spoke about it and hinted at where they will aim.
Behind Michael are Antoine Fuqua -the director-, Graham King -producer-, John Logan -screenwriter— and Jaafar Jackson (Michael’s nephew), Colman Domingo y Miles Teller as main cast actors.
As he advanced Entertainment Weekly (EW)the film promises to explore “triumphs and tragedies on an epic cinematic scale.”
When he took the stage at the last CinemaCon, Michael’s producer, who is also Bohemian Rhapsodysaid that Jackson “is an enigma full of eccentricity, with electrifying talent” and defined him as “the most famous artist who has ever walked on the planet.”
Jaafar Jackson, nephew of Michael Jackson, demonstrated in the first images of the biopic he stars in about his uncle that he is capable of perfectly emulating the iconic dance steps of the ‘king of pop’. Photo: EFEAnd, in that sense, he added: «However, after the relentless scrutiny, the accusations and the suffocating media attention, he was simply a man. A man who lived a very complex life. The movie will cover everythingincluding more than 30 songs, recreating some of his most iconic performances on stage, as well as his life outside the public eye.»
Domingo, for his part, told Entertainment Tonight that the film “will shed a different light on Michael”who is “a complex human being.”
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THE first trailer for the Michael Jackson movie
The film will be distributed in the United States by Lionsgate and in Argentina, by Universal. EW notes that its premiere is scheduled for April 2026.
The reaction of the director of Leaving Neverland
Dan Reedthe director of Leaving Neverlandone of the most accusatory documentaries against the King of Pop, said that the promise of “going into everything” is striking to him. For him it will be “a complete whitening” of the figure.
Reed told the Times of London that Michael “He is never seen alone with any child, when it is a fact that he shared his bed with small children for many years”. The director later confirmed to EW that he made these statements after reading a draft of the script.
Wade Robson (L) and James Safechuck (R), the whistleblowers in Leaving Neverland. Photo: AP“It is a blatant attempt to completely rewrite the allegations and dismiss them outright, and it contains outright lies,” Reed added.
The documentary Leaving Neverland, released in 2019, focuses on the accusations of Wade Robson y James Safechuck against Michael Jackson for child sexual abuse in the late 80s and early 90s.
These two men, who had publicly defended him in the past, accused him in civil lawsuits and told their stories in the documentary.
Although their lawsuits faced legal obstacles and some of the cases were dismissed, they revived the global debate about the artist’s legacy and further divided public opinion between his defenders and those who believe in the complaints.
Michael Jackson was accused alive on two formal occasions of child sexual abusealthough he was never convicted.
The first complaint came in 1993, when the young man Jordan Chandler13, accused him of abusing him at the Neverland ranch.
The case did not go to trial because the family accepted a million-dollar out-of-court settlement—estimated at around $23 million—and the minor did not testify in court. Jackson always denied the facts and maintained that he paid to avoid a devastating process for his career.
A scene from Leaving Neverland, the documentary about two accusations of child sexual abuse against Jackson.A decade later, in 2003, the singer faced charges again, this time for the complaint of Gavin Arvizoa teenager with cancer whom he had invited to his home.
The case did go to trial: after an extensive media trial, the jury declared him innocent of all charges in 2005. Jackson insisted until his death in 2009 that he had never abused any minor..
