Cinema VinesJaafar Jackson, who portrayed his uncle Michael in the 2023 biopic that grossed over $1 billion worldwide, said in a new People interview that the upcoming sequel could tackle the child‑sexual‑abuse allegations that the film avoided. He explained that while he has no control over the script, he hopes the new movie will give Michael a chance to speak directly about the accusations that have long dominated public discourse.
“I think the second film will give even more insight from his point of view, because at the end of the day, [the allegations] are always from someone else’s,” Jaafar told People. “It’s someone else’s story. It’s someone else’s idea of what it is, and it’s mainly driven by an agenda. And that’s really the issue we’ve been having as a family, not having Michael’s voice being heard. I think that’s very, very important, especially in the late years.”
He reflected on the first film’s focus, noting it spent most of its time establishing Michael’s early life and personality. “This first film focuses on Michael from his roots. You understand who he was as a human being first, because at the end of the day, that’s who he was in the ’90s until he passed,” he said.
Michael Jackson, who died in 2009 at age 50, faced a series of child‑sexual‑abuse allegations beginning in the 1990s. Despite multiple accusations, he denied all claims and was never convicted in any legal proceeding. The original cut of the biopic included scenes addressing these allegations, but the film was later re‑edited to end in 1988, before the controversies emerged.
The first film, written by John Logan and directed by Antoine Fuqua, chronicles the Jackson family’s rise from Motown in the late 1960s to Michael’s solo triumphs and the release of his album Bad in the late 1980s. Jaafar starred alongside Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson and Nia Long as Katherine Jackson.
Production on the sequel is already underway. Miles Teller, who played Michael’s lawyer‑manager John Branca in the original, confirmed in May that a follow‑up was being planned. Lionsgate head Adam Fogelson recently stated the studio aims to begin production soon, signalling a new chapter that may finally bring Michael’s perspective to the forefront.
