Mexico City.- The upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, to be directed by Antoine Fuqua, has already landed its lead: the King of Pop’s 26-year-old nephew, Jaafar Jackson.
The filmmaker posted an image on his Instagram account to announce that Jaafar will star in the project, which is simply titled Michael. The youngster is the son of Jackson 5 member Jermaine Jackson and is a singer-songwriter in his own right.
The film, which will trace the rise and fall of one of the most successful artists in music history, has a script by John Logan. It will be produced by Bohemian Rhapsody’s Graham King, along with John Branca and John McClain, the trustees of Michael Jackson’s estate.
According to internal sources, revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, the film will directly address the pedophilia allegations that arose before and after the singer’s death in 2009.
Just as Bohemian Rhapsody told a very specific version of Freddie Mercury’s life, this new biopic will almost certainly do the same for Jackson. That means fans will be able to hear much of the King of Pop’s song catalog mixed with a dramatized retelling of many pivotal moments from his career.
Announcing the project, Fuqua spoke about how excited he was to bring Jackson’s story to film, and as a huge fan of the singer’s work, it was an irresistible opportunity he couldn’t turn down.
“The first films of my career were music videos, and I still feel that combining film and music is a deep part of who I am. For me, there is no artist with the power, charisma and sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson, acknowledged.
“I was influenced to make music videos by seeing his work – the first black artist to play on MTV. His music and those images are part of my world view, and the opportunity to tell his story on screen alongside his music was irresistible. “, he confessed.
