Jaafar Jackson, who played his uncle Michael Jackson in this year's authorized biopic 'Michael,' says a planned sequel will address the sexual abuse allegations that dogged the singer for decades — a subject the first film was widely criticized for leaving out almost entirely.
'It's important that Michael's voice is heard,' Jackson said, signaling that the follow-up will attempt to give the late singer's own perspective on the claims rather than omitting them as the original film did. 'Michael' became the most commercially successful music biopic of all time earlier this year, a box-office result that has given the Jackson estate leverage to greenlight a sequel.
A legal clause nobody caught in time
Part of why the first film avoided the allegations, according to reporting on the production, was a legal clause — reportedly only discovered late in production — that restricted how the film could reference accusations made by one of the men who has accused Jackson of abuse. That contractual constraint, rather than a simple editorial choice, is understood to be a key reason critics found the first film's silence on the allegations so conspicuous.
Director Antoine Fuqua's film nonetheless became a commercial phenomenon, and its success has effectively guaranteed a sequel will be made — raising the question of whether the follow-up can meaningfully engage with allegations that a legal dispute kept out of the first installment, or whether similar constraints will shape round two as well.
It's important that Michael's voice is heard.
Jaafar Jackson
What happens next
Details on the sequel's script, director or release timeline have not been announced, and it remains unclear whether the legal issues that shaped the first film have been resolved in a way that would allow fuller treatment of the allegations. The Jackson estate, which closely controls the singer's image and catalog, is expected to have significant input into how the follow-up handles the subject.