In January 2025, Puck News’ Matthew Belloni reported that the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, titled Michael, would require extensive rewrites and reshoots of its third act due to a previously overlooked agreement signed by the Jackson family. Now, Variety has published a report detailing the production changes.
According to Variety, the cast had to reconvene for 22 days of additional photography, costing the production an extra $10 to $15 million in budget shouldered by the Michael Jackson estate. As a result, the estate now owns an equity stake in the film.
One of the cut scenes is described as showing Jackson staring into a mirror after he has just been accused of child molestation, “capturing his sorrowful gaze as police car lights flash behind him.” Another part of the film that was reportedly left on the cutting room floor depicted investigators searching for evidence at Neverland Ranch. In fact, “any mention of the child molestation accusations” has been scrubbed entirely from the film.
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These reshoots were necessary after the Jackson family rediscovered an agreement they signed, which promised that a film would not feature the story of Jordan Chandler, the 13-year-old who made molestation allegations against Jackson in 1993. According to Belloni’s previous reporting, the third act of the film was originally meant to focus on the 1993 investigation and Chandler’s statements while portraying a naive Jackson being taken advantage of by opportunistic people with allegedly unfounded claims.
Now, Michael reportedly ends with Jackson preparing to take the stage during his Bad tour, as the movie has been refocused on his music rather than his controversial personal life. Instead, the film finds tension in Jackson’s strained relationship with his allegedly abusive father, Joe Jackson, as well as his recovery from severe scalp burns suffered during the filming of a 1984 Pepsi commercial.
Michael stars Jackson’s own nephew, Jaafar Jackson, in the lead role, with Nia Long (as Michael’s mother, Katherine), Colman Domingo (as his father, Joe), Miles Teller (as his attorney, John Branca), Laura Harrier (as Suzanne de Passe), and Juliano Krue Valdi (as young Michael) rounding out the cast. It opens in theaters on April 24th.
