The studio executive behind the Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael’ has confirmed that a sequel is in the works, and could shoot as early as this year.
Only one week after the release of Michael, and news drops that the Michael Jackson biopic is getting a sequel.
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While this is hardly surprising, considering the film ends with the caption “His story continues...” and box office records have already been broken, a second chapter raises a lot of questions. Chiefly, since the first film ends in the mid-80s, prior to accusations of sexual abuse, will the follow-up actually address the more troubled aspects of Jackson’s life? Or will it be more sanitised, estate-approved dross?
Regardless, it's full steam ahead.
Adam Fogelson, the Head of Lionsgate, shared on the podcast The Town With Matt Belloni that the film’s sequel could be shooting this year or in 2027.
Fogelson said: “There is a massive amount of music… and life experiences separate and apart from allegations… that would fill more than a second movie on its own.”
Sure...
Michael has faced a huge wave of criticism and plenty of production controversies – chiefly a huge injection of cash – a reported $15 million - from the Jackson estate to reshoot the last act of the film, in order to remove all mentions of sexual abuse.
When asked about what could feature in the sequel, Fogelson pointed to Jackson’s 1993 Super Bowl halftime performance as an example.
When asked whether the sequel would mention the accusations levelled against Jackson (ie: not rewrite history), he replied: “It’s a really complicated question, and I’m not sure I think that I am the best person or now is the best time.”
In Euronews Culture’s review of Michael, we wrote: “Michael only functions as an insultingly blatant hagiography. It removes everything from his early life story that could be deemed contentious. (...) No need for any of that in this drama-free, formulaic and estate-controlled excuse to sell more albums. Instead, this biopic is sanitized to the point of being translucent and only caters to undiscerning fans who just want to hear the hits and witness recreations of iconic MJ moments.”
Michael is out in cinemas now.
