DISCOVER THE MAKING OF A KING.

A biography focusing on Michael Jackson’s rise as a superstar during the 1980s and how he ultimately liberated himself from his abusive father’s dominance.

Embraced by his fans who turned it into a box-office hit, but its major flaw is a refusal to make us understand Jackson’s inner life and sexuality, the things that form human nature.

The film’s approach is standard, but Jackson’s nephew Jaafar is surprisingly effective, especially in the music numbers; the same is true of Juliano Krue Valdi as the young Michael. 

2026-U.S. 127 min. Color. Directed by Antoine Fuqua. Screenplay: John Logan. Cast: Jaafar Jackson (Michael Jackson), Colman Domingo (Joe Jackson), Nia Long (Katherine Jackson), Miles Teller, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Juliano Krue Valdi, Mike Myers. 

Trivia: Co-executive produced by Fuqua and much of the Jackson family. The original intent was to make a longer film that also addressed the charges against Jackson of sexual abuse.