The role of Michael Jackson will remain in the family: to interpret the King of Pop in the biopic directed by Antoine Fuqua will in fact be Jaafar Jackson
His nephew of the singer and son of his brother Jermaine Jackson , former member of the Jackson 5 .
Jaafar Jackson, who is 26 and has been singing and dancing since he was 12, definitely has the right moves, look and voice for the role, as can be seen in the video for his song Got Me Singing . But will he also have the makings of an actor necessary for such a complex and delicate role?
After all, as we have when we reported the news, Michael will tell all about Jackson’s life, including the more controversial sides like the pedophilia allegations. The film will be produced for Lionsgate by Graham King , producer of Bohemian Rhapsody . His GK Films will produce alongside John Branca and John McClain , co-executors of Jackson’s legacy. The screenplay is by John Logan ( Skyfall, Penny Dreadful ).
Logan and King, who also collaborated on Martin Scorsese ‘s The Aviator (again a biopic, by mogul, producer and director Howard Hughes), were very keen on this project. Things are moving fast, and with post-production on The Equalizer 3 completed , Fuqua will begin directing Michael , likely with Robert Richardson ( Emancipation, The Equalizer 3 ) still alongside as cinematographer.
Having the blessing of the heirs, Michael will be able to count on the original songs of Michael Jackson, indispensable in this case. But obviously the affiliation to the heirs of the King of Pop also raises the question of how effectively this film will be free to tell the less flattering aspects of the singer, without antagonizing the legions of his fans (and potential viewers).