Following the commercial success of the Michael Jackson biopic that recently became the highest-grossing film in the genre, plans for a sequel are underway. The original film, directed by Antoine Fuqua and released earlier this year, faced widespread criticism for omitting references to allegations of sexual abuse against Jackson. Production constraints, including a legal clause discovered late in filming that prevented the depiction of one accuser in a fictionalized account, led to significant reshoots funded by the Jackson family and alterations to the narrative structure.
Jaafar Jackson, who stars as his uncle in the films, addressed the omissions in the first installment, characterizing them as typical of the editing process rather than deliberate avoidance. In comments to media outlets, the actor suggested that a second film would offer greater context regarding the allegations, framed from Jackson’s perspective rather than that of accusers. Jackson emphasized the importance of presenting his uncle’s viewpoint, noting that the family has been concerned about Jackson’s voice being absent from public discourse surrounding the accusations.
Director Fuqua previously stated that any sequel would avoid sensationalizing details from Jackson’s life, focusing instead on his humanity. The original film’s approach has drawn criticism from documentarian Dan Reed, whose 2019 film Leaving Neverland detailed additional child sexual abuse allegations against Jackson. Reed characterized the biopic as misrepresenting Jackson’s relationships and suggested the narrative presented a distorted account of documented claims.
Jackson, one of the best-selling recording artists in history with over 500 million records sold, faced sexual abuse allegations beginning in 1993, settling that case out of court the following year. He was tried and acquitted on separate child sexual abuse charges in 2005 and died in 2009 at age 50 from an accidental propofol overdose.
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