The biopic “Michael” will get a sequel — almost 30% of the new film has already been shot

The biographical film about American singer Michael Jackson — "Michael" — which became one of the major box office hits of 2026, will receive a sequel.

Lionsgate officially reported the work on the sequel during its quarterly report to investors, writes Variety.

The first film ended with the events of the 1987 Bad tour and the title "His story continues", leaving out several decades of the artistʼs life — including the release of the "Dangerous" albums and subsequent scandals related to allegations of child sexual abuse.

"There are a ton of incredibly interesting Michael Jackson stories, and many of the biggest and most popular parts of his musical catalog were not covered in the first film," said Lionsgateʼs head of film division Adam Fogelson.

He added that the sequel wonʼt necessarily be chronological: the writers can "move forward and backward in time" as they tell the story.

According to Fedelson, production on the second film is “progressing very well” — about 25–30% of the potential sequel has already been shot.

The studio also revealed that there were difficulties during the production of the first film. Originally, the third part of the film was supposed to focus on the impact of the harassment allegations on the singerʼs life.

However, those scenes had to be cut after lawyers for Jacksonʼs estate discovered a clause in the agreement with one of the accusers, Jordan Chandler, that forbade him from being mentioned or depicted in the films. Despite this, the studio says some of the cut material could be used in a second film.

The first film, Michael, became one of the most successful films of the year. The film, with a budget of over $155 million, has already grossed over $700 million worldwide.

A biographical musical drama directed by Antoine Fuqua from a screenplay by John Logan, based on the life of Michael Jackson. The film stars Jaafar Jackson in his film debut.

• Michael Jackson was a singer, dancer, film actor, and songwriter who rose to fame at the age of 12 as the lead singer of the boy band The Jackson Five. He is considered the King of Pop and won 13 Grammy Awards during his lifetime. Michael Jackson died in 2009 at the age of 50.

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