The upcoming Michael Jackson biopic has reportedly been forced to reshoot its entire third act, which is said to depict sexual abuse allegations that the singer’s estate has banned from being dramatised.
Titled Michael, the film will tell the story of the life and career of Michael Jackson, who will be portrayed by his own nephew, Jaafar Jackson. The movie, which is directed by Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua, was previously scheduled for an October 2025 release.
However, according to a report from Puck, the film’s release will now be delayed due to its unsanctioned portrayal of the Jordan Chandler case.
In 1993, Evan Chandler, a dentist and screenwriter based in Los Angeles, accused Jackson of sexually abusing his 13-year-old son Jordan. The case was concluded when the two parties reached a financial settlement in 1994.
As reported by Puck co-founder Matthew Belloni, the film’s third act “hinges specifically on the impact of the Chandler circus” and claims the ending will now have to be changed and reshot.
Belloni said: “In the script I read – which I’m told was close to final, but obviously these things are often revised – a tense sequence involves Branca (Miles Teller), Johnnie Cochran (Derek Luke), and other Jackson lawyers discussing whether to pay off Chandler and his family.
“At one point, the lawyers play the infamous recording, submitted in court, of Jordan’s father threatening to leverage his son’s accusations to ‘destroy’ his ex-wife and Jackson’s career.
“The ensuing scenes dramatise the extensive police investigation, including a ‘traumatising’ strip search of Michael that scars him for life”.
Belloni reports that Jackson’s estate allegedly signed an agreement that prohibits the case from ever being dramatised, which would render much of the plot and “several key scenes unusable”.
He goes on to claim that the entire project could now be under threat if Universal refuses to sign off the reshoots. However, he added that his sources are “confident and “hopeful” that the issues will be resolved before the October release date.
Alongside Jaafar Jackson, the cast also includes Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson and Miles Teller as manager John Branca.
The Vampire Diaries star Kat Graham will play the iconic Diana Ross. Portraying industry titan Quincy Jones – who recently passed away – will be Insecure‘s Kendrick Sampson.
So far, limited information about the film has been made public. Its first trailer was revealed to critics at CinemaCon in April and was reportedly well received, but has yet to be officially released worldwide.