Michael Jackson's Biopic Is Lost in the Edit Bay—And Hollywood's Sweating
Jaafar Jackson just wrapped filming a $155 million Michael Jackson biopic—so why hasn't anyone seen a frame? Lionsgate's in too deep, and 2026 looks like the earliest escape hatch.
The King of Pop is moonwalking into a new limbo—and no, we're not talking about the afterlife. Antoine Fuqua's long-brewing Michael biopic has hit another wall, this time a $155 million one layered in rewrites, legal landmines, and enough raw footage to power a Snyder Cut.
According to Lionsgate's latest earnings call, Michael won't moonwalk into theaters until after April 2026. That's after the presidential election, after two more Oscars, and maybe after your next existential crisis. Even then, it might not be one movie—but two. Yes, a double feature biopic. Because if there's anything we've learned from Hollywood lately, it's that they never let a single film tell a whole story when they can drag it out.
Let that sink in: Fuqua handed over 3.5 hours of “amazing footage”. Sounds promising? Not if your third act needs a total reshoot. That's right—an entire third of the movie was nuked thanks to “major legal issues.”
Nobody knows what those issues are, but the safe bet is somewhere between music rights purgatory and the minefield that is Jackson's posthumous reputation.
So what does Lionsgate have on their hands? Something between Bohemian Rhapsody and Justice League, minus the fanbase crying for a director's cut—because this time, the director's cut is all they've got.
Hollywood déjà vu, or something new?
This isn't the first time a musical biopic went full tilt. Remember Rocketman's hallucinations? Elvis's bedazzled fever dream? At least those movies came out. Fuqua's Michael joins a not-so-exclusive club of projects derailed by their own ambition.
But unlike those films, Michael is dancing in the shadow of history's most litigated pop legacy. It's not just about Jaafar Jackson channeling his late uncle—though by all reports, he's nailed the look. It's about controlling the narrative of a man whose life story is still a live wire.
The stakes? Massive. Not just financial—though let's not forget, $155 million is blockbuster territory—but cultural. This isn't just a movie; it's a referendum on who gets to tell the story of Michael Jackson.
As one exec reportedly whispered off-the-record, “This is like trying to film a moon landing—on a rollercoaster—during a lawsuit.”
The Reshoot Era: Is This the New Norm?
What's happening here isn't an anomaly. It's a pattern. From The Flash to Deadpool 3, reshoots have become more common than craft services. Studios are swinging for IP fences with first drafts of scripts still warm. Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan already submitted one rewrite, which Lionsgate reviewed… then tossed back for another.
CinemaCon didn't see a single frame. Nada. Zip. Not even a teaser. For a film with this price tag, that's like showing up to prom in pajamas. Is the studio hiding something? Or is it simply not ready for primetime?
The Jackson Cinematic Universe: Coming Soon?
Strangely enough, the cast isn't the problem. With Colman Domingo, Nia Long, and Miles Teller, the pedigree is there. And yes, there are actors playing Diana Ross, La Toya, Quincy Jones, Dick Clark, Gladys Knight—even Jackson's longtime bodyguard, Bill Bray. This isn't a biopic; it's a cinematic family reunion.
It screams franchise. But right now, it's stuck in development purgatory. Two parts or not, no film survives a full third-act reshoot unscathed. Ask Rogue One. Ask Justice League. Ask Cats.
So… genius or garbage?
Lionsgate insists it's “massaging the narrative.” Fans are more like massaging their temples. If we're lucky, Michael could become the definitive portrait of pop's most polarizing icon. If not, it risks becoming a bloated spectacle trying to moonwalk out of controversy.
But hey, who knows? Maybe we'll get a killer soundtrack, a Best Costume nod, and Jaafar Jackson on the cover of Rolling Stone.
Until then…
Would you watch this or burn $20? No judgment. (Okay, maybe a little.)
