A sequel to the Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael’ is in development, Lionsgate confirmed this week, with studio executives saying there is still “a ton of incredibly entertaining story” left to explore from the singer’s life and career.
The update came during a quarterly earnings call, where Adam Fogelson said preparations for the follow-up film were progressing “exceptionally well”.
Fogelson said the first film had only covered part of Jackson’s life and musical catalogue, leaving room for another feature.
“There is a ton of incredibly entertaining Michael Jackson story, and much of the biggest and most popular parts of his music catalogue that were not touched upon in the first film,” he said. “There are so many other events that happened, even in the time frame of the original movie that weren’t touched upon, so we’re very, very confident that we’ve got an incredibly entertaining movie that will appeal once again to a global audience.”
The first film, ‘Michael’, was released in April and became a major commercial success in both the United States and the UK. According to studio figures, the film has earned $715.8 million worldwide.
Starring Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson, the biopic concludes with Jackson’s 1988 Wembley Stadium performance during the ‘Bad’ tour.
However, the production also faced controversy surrounding child sexual abuse allegations previously made against Jackson. Reports emerged during filming that a significant amount of footage had to be discarded after producers realised a legal settlement involving Jackson and accuser Jordan Chandler prevented Chandler from appearing or being referenced in the film.
It remains unclear whether a sequel will address those allegations, which first surfaced publicly in 1993.
Fogelson suggested the new film may not follow a strictly chronological structure, saying, “We can go forwards and backwards in telling this story.”
He also indicated that previously filmed footage could be incorporated into the sequel, potentially reducing production expenses.
“We think we’ve got twenty-five to thirty percent of a second movie already shot from the prior production activity, and so obviously that will have some financial benefit ultimately,” he said.
