Antoine Fuqua Set to Direct Michael Jackson Biopic

Michael Jackson is getting the biopic treatment in an upcoming film titled Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua.

A biopic on the life of Michael Jackson is coming to theaters soon. On Wednesday (January 19), The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Antoine Fuqua (Emancipation, Training Day, Southpaw) will direct an upcoming Jackson biopic titled Michael. Producing the full-length effort is Graham King, who's worked on Oscar-winning music biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, along with John Branca and John McClain, who are the co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate. John Logan, screenwriter for Gladiator and The Aviator, wrote the script.

“The first films of my career were music videos, and I still feel that combining film and music are a deep part of who I am,” said Fuqua in a statement. “For me, there is no artist with the power, the charisma, and the sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson. I was influenced to make music videos by watching his work — the first Black artist to play in heavy rotation on MTV. His music and those images are part of my worldview, and the chance to tell his story on the screen alongside his music was irresistible.”

According to Lionsgate, the film will chronicle all aspects of Jackson's life, although it's unclear how it will approach multiple controversies that the artist faced. In 2019, HBO released documentary film Leaving Neverland, with highlighted accusations of child sexual abuse at Jackson's Neverland Ranch residence in Santa Barbara County, California.

Jackson, a 12-time Grammy Award winner and world-renowned music icon, died in 2009 from a cardiac arrest brought on by acute propofol intoxication.