Source: General / General
The ‘Training Day’ director praised the newcomer for how his looks and talent match his uncle.
Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson‘s nephew, will play the King of Pop in a new biopic, Michael, set to release in April 2025. Jaafar, son of Jermaine Jackson and Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza, shared his excitement on Instagram about playing his uncle.
“I’m humbled and honored to bring my Uncle Michael’s story to life. To all the fans all over the world, I’ll see you soon,” Jaafar said.
The film, produced by Lionsgate and Universal, will be released globally; the U.S. premiere will be on April 18, 2025. According to Deadline, Training Day‘s Antoine Fuqua will direct the film and Gladiator‘s John Logan will write the script.
Jaafar, a singer-songwriter who started performing at age 12, proudly secured the lead role. Fuqua openly praised Jaafar’s resemblance to his uncle in both appearance and talent.
The film is set to explore a full rundown of Michael Jackson’s life: his successes, failures, controversies, creativity and personal issues. John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate are also producers, Deadline reports.
The full cast has not been released, but an accurate biopic highlighting Michael Jackson’s impact on music and culture is long overdue.
