The newly released official trailer for the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic gives audiences the most detailed look at the movie so far.
We already knew that Michael, the long-awaited Michael Jackson biopic starring the late King’s of Pop nephew that Jaafar Jackson in the lead role, was set to be one of 2026's most anticipated movies.
But the newly released official trailer is the most complete preview of the movie yet, showcasing aspects of the singer’s life absent from the movie’s teaser trailer from last year.
That teaser came under scrutiny from fans for appearing to gloss over some of the more controversial aspects of Michael Jackson’s life.
This latest trailer does offer a glimpse of MJ’s complicated relationship with his father, Joe Jackson (Colman Domingo). Joe Jackson shaped his sons into the Jackson 5, a band which became a springboard for Michael’s solo career. But it has also been alleged that Joe abused Michael and his siblings, and was a controlling presence throughout their lives.
The rest of the trailer is comprised of an upbeat and par for the course collage of some of the most iconic events of Michael Jackson’s storied career - including his rise to fame via the Jackson 5, the shooting of the music video for 'Thriller' and his first ever moonwalk performed in 1983.
Check it out below:
Michael 's production has already been steeped in controversy and delays, a result of a dispute between the production team and the Jackson estate regarding the movie's portrayal of the Jordan Chandler case.
Jordan Chandler accused Michael Jackson of molesting him when he was 13 years old. Although the case was eventually settled out of court, an agreement between the Jackson estate and the Chandler family stipulated that Jordan’s story may never be dramatized.
However, as reported by Puck, the film's entire third act originally centred around the Chandler case and the script allegedly portrayed Jackson as a victim of extortion. This led to lengthy rewrites and reshoots, with the movie only releasing in 2026, despite production wrapping up in 2024.
It remains to be seen to what extent the newest entry in the growing genre of musical biopics will showcase some of the more distasteful chapters in the singer’s life, but celebrities and even Jackson’s family have already dismissed the film.
Michael Jackson’s daughter, Paris Jackson, released a statement via Instagram in which she said: “The film panders to a very specific section of my dad’s fandom that still lives in a fantasy.” As for director Dan Reed, he wrote: “No one is talking about “cancelling” this movie, which will glorify a man who raped children,” in a 2023 Guardian column.
Michael is set to arrive on the big screens on 24 April - 17 years after the musician's death on the 25 June 2009.
