Producers of the biographical film Michael previously explored a narrative arc involving the sexual abuse allegations leveled against the pop star. Reports suggest that after filming a segment regarding Jackson’s out-of-court settlement with the family of Jordan Chandler, the sequence was removed. This decision reportedly followed legal counsel advising that the settlement terms prohibited the Jackson estate from mentioning the Chandler family in a cinematic production. Consequently, the film depicted Jackson as a victim of legal extortion, but the specific details were ultimately excised.
The released theatrical version of Michael bypasses the controversial events of the singer’s later years. Instead, the narrative concludes following the 1984 Victory Tour, showing Jackson distancing himself from his father, before transitioning to a brief montage of his 1987 London performance of “Bad.” A final title card notes that Jackson’s life continued beyond these events.
Despite its controversial subject matter, Michael became a massive commercial success, surpassing Bohemian Rhapsody to become the highest-grossing music biopic in history, earning over one billion dollars globally. It currently ranks as the fourth highest-grossing film of 2026. With a sequel currently in development, Lionsgate aims to begin production by the end of this year. Jaafar Jackson, the actor portraying his uncle in the franchise, has now addressed how the upcoming installment intends to handle the long-standing abuse allegations.
In a recent cover story for GQ Middle East, Jaafar Jackson stated that the sequel intends to present the allegations “from [Michael’s] point of view.” He elaborated on this vision:
I think the second film will give even more insight from his point of view, because at the end of the day, [the allegations] are always from someone else’s. It’s someone else’s story. It’s someone else’s idea of what it is, and it’s mainly driven by an agenda. And that’s really the issue we’ve been having as a family – not having Michael’s voice being heard. I think that’s very, very important, especially in the late years.
While Jaafar does not hold creative control over the screenplay, his comments reflect the direction favored by the Jackson estate, which is heavily involved in the production. The profile also touches upon Michael’s personal evolution during his final years:
Late in his life, he [was reading] like Deepak Chopra and some other gurus. He was seeking a more spiritual journey just because of, I would imagine, the type of scrutiny and the level of pressure he was probably feeling from the press, that he wanted to find that sense of peace for himself….
No matter all the stuff he went through, how he was treated, what things were said about him, he never stopped treating people with kindness. He never stopped believing in and wanting to look for the good in people… even though he was broken, his heart still stayed the same… I hope that this is felt in the second movie.
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