LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson’s story is set to return to the big screen, with Lionsgate targeting a late 2027 or early 2028 release for the sequel to the blockbuster biopic Michael.
According to AllHipHop.com, Lionsgate chairman Adam Fogelson provided the clearest indication yet of the studio’s plans during its first-quarter earnings call, telling analysts that production on the follow-up could begin as early as late 2026 or the beginning of 2027.
Fogelson said the studio was currently looking at a release window in late 2027 or the first half of 2028, although he stressed that the timetable remains subject to change.
The sequel would extend the story of Jackson beyond the period covered by the first film, which concluded in 1988 around the beginning of his hugely successful Bad world tour.
Director Antoine Fuqua has previously indicated that substantial material filmed for the original movie did not make the final theatrical cut and could potentially be used in the sequel.
According to comments reported by Deadline, approximately one-third of the footage shot for the first film was left out of the final version. Some of that material reportedly covers events beyond the timeframe of the original movie and could help the filmmakers develop the second instalment without having to recreate every period from scratch.
The sequel is expected to explore the most dramatic and controversial chapters of Jackson’s later career, potentially spanning the 1990s and 2000s.
That period encompasses Jackson’s extraordinary global success following Bad, his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, the emergence of allegations of child sexual abuse, the highly publicised legal proceedings that followed, the impact of intense media scrutiny on his career and personal life, and the circumstances surrounding his death in 2009.
The first film deliberately stopped before those events, ending with Jackson preparing for the Bad tour and a title card declaring that “His Story Continues”.
That decision now appears to have been strategically important for Lionsgate, allowing the studio to divide Jackson’s extraordinarily complicated life and career across multiple films.
The commercial performance of Michael has also given the studio a powerful incentive to continue the franchise.
The first instalment crossed the US$1 billion mark worldwide, establishing itself as one of the most commercially successful music biopics ever made and surpassing previous major musical biopic successes such as Bohemian Rhapsody.
The result has transformed Michael from a conventional biographical film into a major global entertainment property, with Jackson’s music catalogue, enormous international fan base and continuing cultural influence providing the sequel with a potentially substantial audience.
Fuqua has previously expressed a strong desire to return to the director’s chair.
“It would kill me if somebody else did it,” Fuqua reportedly told Deadline earlier this year when discussing the possibility of another filmmaker taking over the project.
However, Lionsgate has yet to formally confirm the director, cast, production budget or detailed storyline for the sequel.
Jaafar Jackson, who portrayed his uncle in the first film, would be the obvious focal point for any continuation, although the studio has not yet announced the full casting arrangements for the second instalment.
The sequel will also face a considerably more complicated storytelling challenge than the first film. Jackson’s later years were marked by extraordinary artistic achievements alongside intense public controversy, legal battles and unprecedented media attention.
For the filmmakers, the task will be to balance Jackson’s musical legacy with the difficult and contested events that shaped the final two decades of his life.
The original Michael demonstrated the enormous commercial appetite for Jackson’s story. Its billion-dollar global performance suggests that audiences remain deeply interested in the singer decades after his death.
If Lionsgate maintains its current timetable, production could begin within months, with the sequel potentially becoming one of the biggest music-driven theatrical releases of 2027 or 2028.
For now, however, the studio is keeping the details under wraps as development moves forward, with Fogelson cautioning that casting, budget and story specifics have yet to be finalised.
One thing appears increasingly certain: Michael Jackson’s cinematic story is far from over.
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