The King of Pop: The Michael Biopic Trailer is Finally Here

Buckle up, moonwalkers and skeptics alike, because the first official trailer for Michael, the highly anticipated Michael Jackson biopic, has finally moonwalked its way onto our screens. After months of hushed whispers, production delays, and a runtime that reportedly rivals the length of a Sunday brunch with your most talkative aunt, we finally have a look at Jaafar Jackson stepping into his uncle’s loafers. And let’s be real: the pressure isn't just on him to hit the high notes; it’s on director Antoine Fuqua to prove this isn't just a sanitized, estate-approved PR campaign.

A Family Affair: Jaafar Jackson Takes Center Stage

If you’ve been living under a rock (or just avoiding the 24-hour news cycle), the Michael trailer released today confirms one thing: the DNA is doing the heavy lifting. Jaafar Jackson looks, moves and sounds eerily like the King of Pop. It’s almost unsettling. The trailer leans heavily into the "birth of a legend" trope, juxtaposing the grueling rehearsals of the Jackson 5 under the iron fist of Joe Jackson (played with chilling intensity by Colman Domingo) against the blinding pyrotechnics of the Dangerous era.

The visuals are lush, hitting every nostalgic beat from the red leather Thriller jacket to the gravity-defying lean of "Smooth Criminal." But while the aesthetic is spot-on, the trailer leaves us wondering how much of the "real" Michael we’re going to get. We see the adoring crowds and the iconic silhouettes, but we also catch glimpses of the isolation that comes with being the most famous person on the planet.

Beyond the lead, the trailer gives us our first real look at Nia Long as the family matriarch, Katherine Jackson and Miles Teller as the sharp-suited attorney John Branca. The creative pedigree here is undeniable with a script by John Logan (Gladiator, The Aviator), there is a clear attempt to elevate this beyond the typical "VH1 Movie of the Week" territory.

Fuqua seems to be aiming for a cinematic epic, utilizing IMAX-scale visuals to capture the sheer magnitude of Jackson’s global influence. The trailer effectively uses a remix of "Man in the Mirror" to pull at the heartstrings, suggesting a film that is as much about the man’s internal struggle as it is about his external chart-topping success.

The Michael biopic is set to hit theaters on April 24, 2026, and if this trailer is any indication, it’s going to be the most talked-about film of the year. Whether you're here for the choreography or the drama, one thing is certain: Jaafar Jackson is about to become a household name.

What do you think of the trailer? Is Jaafar a dead ringer for MJ, or are we looking at an imitation that’s a little too "smooth"? Head over to the comments and let us know if you'll be booking your IMAX tickets or if you're "starting with the man in the mirror" and staying home.

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