Lionsgate is pushing ahead on Michael 2, the sequel to its blockbuster Michael Jackson biopic, with plans to roll cameras as early as late 2026 or the start of 2027. Motion picture chief Adam Fogelson laid out the timeline on the studio’s latest earnings call, flagging a release window that runs from the end of 2027 into the first half of 2028.
The sequel’s momentum is a direct product of the original’s numbers. Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua, became a commercial powerhouse, grossing in the neighborhood of $1 billion USD worldwide and posting what has been billed as the strongest opening a biopic has ever recorded. The film charts the King of Pop’s climb from the Jackson 5 to global superstardom and closes on his 1987 Bad tour, with the singer’s real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson in the lead. Its parting title card, “His Story Continues,” left little doubt that a follow-up was coming.
On the timeline itself, Fogelson signaled that the sequel can lean partly on footage already in the can. A number of sequences filmed for the first movie went unused and are now likely to migrate into the second. “We have a number of sequences, particularly some big musical sequences, that were shot previously, that are almost sure to be incorporated,” Fogelson said on the earnings call. He added that the studio’s attention is currently on delivering the biggest, best sequel it can at the right price.
Stay tuned for more details.
