Published : 21 Oct 2026, 11:18 PM
Updated : 21 Oct 2026, 11:18 PM
Jaafar Jackson, who played his uncle Michael Jackson in the hit biopic “Michael”, has said a sequel will offer more insight into the late singer’s perspective on sexual abuse allegations, according to The Guardian.
The actor said the family had struggled with what he described as a lack of Michael’s voice in accounts of the allegations.
“I think the second film will give even more insight from [Michael Jackson’s] point of view,” he said, adding that “it’s very, very important” for the singer’s perspective to be heard, cited per the report.
The Guardian reported that Antoine Fuqua’s first film faced sustained criticism for omitting the allegations after a legal clause barred the depiction of one of Jackson’s accusers, who said he was abused as a boy, forcing production changes.
A scene involving a police raid at Jackson’s Neverland ranch was cut, the Jackson family funded $50 million in reshoots, and the story was curtailed early.
The film has overtaken “Oppenheimer” as the highest-grossing biopic, making a sequel likely. Speaking to Variety, Jaafar said scenes are often cut during editing.
Fuqua has said the follow-up would not “sensationalise” Jackson’s life, arguing that the focus should remain on who the singer was as a person.
The Guardian noted that “Leaving Neverland” director Dan Reed criticised the biopic for offering “zero insight into what makes Jackson tick”.
Reed said the film distorted Jackson’s relationship with children. The singer first faced child sexual abuse allegations in 1993 and settled a civil case the following year.
Michael was acquitted of other child sexual abuse charges in 2005 and died in 2009, aged 50, from an accidental propofol overdose.