The late icon’s 26-year-old nephew Jaafar Jackson will star in Antoine Fuqua’s Michael, reports Deadline. Jaafar is the son of Jermaine Jackson, the brother of Michael and member of The Jackson 5. The singer-songwriter has been singing and dancing since age 12, and released his debut single “Got Me Singing” in 2019.
aafar shared the big news alongside the first photo of himself dressed as his late uncle. “I’m humbled and honored to bring my Uncle Michael’s story to life,” he wrote on Instagram. “To all the fans all over the world, I’ll see you soon.”
As previously reported, Fuqua (Training Day) will direct the biopic from Lionsgate, which is set to begin production later this year.
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“Proud to announce @jaafarjackson as Michael — the motion picture event that explores the journey of the man who became the King of Pop. Coming soon,” said Fuqua.
The film will highlight Jackson’s musical accomplishments starting from his Jackson 5 days to becoming the biggest pop star on the planet. According to Deadline, it will also “deal squarely with the pedophile accusations that dogged his later years up to his death in 2009 at age 50.”
Fuqua, who is currently finishing The Equalizer 3 with Denzel Washington, got his start directing music videos for Prince, Lil Wayne, and Toni Braxton.
“The first films of my career were music videos, and I still feel that combining film and music are a deep part of who I am,” he said. “For me, there is no artist with the power, the charisma, and the sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson. I was influenced to make music videos by watching his work – the first Black artist to play in heavy rotation on MTV. His music and those images are part of my worldview, and the chance to tell his story on the screen alongside his music was irresistible.”
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