The 2026 release of the pop icon Michael Jackson’s biopic, titled “Michael,” sparked a vast amount of conversations among supporters and critics alike.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson, who is actually Jackson’s nephew, the film aims to capture the complicated legacy of the king of pop. However, as audiences have flocked to theaters, several creative choices and omissions have become major talking points.
The most surprising people left out from the film were Diana Ross and Janet Jackson, two of the most significant women in Michael’s life.
Despite her role as Michael’s mentor and a primary maternal figure during his rise to fame, Ross does not appear as a character in the film. Reports suggest that while Kat Graham was initially linked to the role, legal hurdles or creative shifts led to the character being cut from the final theatrical version.
Similarly, Michael’s younger sister and fellow superstar, Janet Jackson, is noticeably absent from the narrative. While the film focuses heavily on Michael’s relationship with his father, Joe Jackson, and the early years of the Jackson 5, it bypasses the deep personal and professional bond he shared with Janet during the height of their respective solo careers.
In addition, a move that surprised many expecting a frame-by-frame recreation of his most famous music video, the film’s depiction of the “Thriller” era takes a different approach. While the movie captures the grueling rehearsals and the cultural explosion of the 1983 short film, it notably does not feature Michael turning into the iconic werewolf (or “werecat”) on screen.
Instead, the film prioritizes the “man behind the mask,” focusing on the creative pressure and the physical toll the production took on him, rather than relying on the heavy prosthetics and horror elements that defined the original video.
The film concludes its narrative around the late 1980s, specifically ending with the Bad World Tour. Because the story stops before the most tumultuous chapters of the 1990s and 2000s, it has left the door wide open for a franchise. Due to the film’s massive box office success, grossing over $400 million in its first few weeks, Lionsgate and the Jackson Estate are already in active discussions for a sequel.
This second installment is expected to cover the latter half of his life, including the “Dangerous” and “HIStory” eras, his marriage to Debbie Rowe, and the legal battles that defined his later years.
The massive production has also seen significant involvement from Michael’s own family, particularly his eldest son, Prince Jackson, who is credited as an executive producer. However, his youngest son, Bigi Jackson, formerly known as “Blanket”, has also been making headlines for his own growing career in the film industry. While Bigi did not serve as a producer on this specific 2026 biopic, he has been building a reputation as an aspiring filmmaker and producer in his own right, recently winning “Best Drama” at the Santa Monica Film Festival for his directorial debut, the short film “Rochelles.” His passion for the technical side of cinema mirrors the creative drive seen in his father and brother, signaling that the Jackson family’s influence on the silver screen is only beginning.
The “Michael” biopic is a fantastic movie about the king of pop that is both interesting and fun to watch. Even though it leaves out a few important people and moments, it does a great job of telling his story in a way that feels fresh and exciting. It is a heartwarming film that celebrates his music and life, making it a perfect choice to bring the whole family together for a movie night.
