Michael Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson to play King Of Pop in biopic ( Photo Credit – Wikimedia; Twitter )
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In the Antoine Fuqua-directed film biopic, the late King of Pop Michael Jackson will be played by the late icon’s 26-year-old nephew Jaafar Jackson. Scroll down to know more.
Fuqua just confirmed the news on Instagram. The singer and songwriter is the son of Jermaine Jackson, Michael Jackson’s brother and a member of The Jackson 5. Jaafar has been singing and dancing since the age of 12, and has performed songs by Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye, as well as originals, according to Deadline.
The Emancipation helmer signed on to next direct Michael, which has a script by John Logan. Michael Jackson’s biopic is being produced by Graham King, who turned the Freddie Mercury Queen story into the blockbuster ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.
According to ‘Deadline’, the film will not shy away from the controversies of Michael Jackson’s life, the pedophile accusations that haunted his latest years up to his death in 2009 at age 50, from cardiac arrest caused by a cocktail of sedatives.
The MJ estate’s presence gives rights to Jackson’s musical catalog, but has led some to question how protective they will be, but clearly things will have to be explored for the film to have dramatic edge and enough truthfulness to stand up to scrutiny while not turning off fans of Jackson’s songs and musical legacy.
King and Oscar-nominated Gladiator screenwriter Logan previously threaded the needle perfectly with director Martin Scorsese on ‘The Aviator’, with Leonardo Di Caprio playing Howard Hughes as he tried to pursue his innovations before mental illness turned him into a germophobic recluse.
‘King’ and screenwriter Anthony McCarten captured the complexities of Freddie Mercury’s life before he died from AIDS.
Michael Jackson’s biopic will also be driven by his musical accomplishments, which gives the film global potential similar to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, which grossed over $900 million worldwide, boosted the song catalog of Queen, got a Best Picture Oscar nomination and a win for star Rami Malek.
Fuqua is currently finishing ‘The Equalizer 3’ with Denzel Washington in Italy.
