The team behind the biographical musical drama, which stars Jaafar Jackson as his uncle, are reportedly considering cutting the film into two parts as their retelling of the pop legend’s life story is almost four hours long, according to Deadline.
The film was originally due to be released in April this year before it was pushed to 3 October several months ago. However, it now seems unlikely that the feature will make that release date.
Earlier this week, speculation about a delay to 2026 arose when Lionsgate executives didn’t show any footage from the film during its presentation to cinema owners at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. This was particularly noticeable as Michael was a major part of the panel last year.
In addition to Jafaar Jackson in the titular role, Michael stars Colman Domingo as the King of Pop’s father Joe Jackson, Nia Long as his mother Katherine Jackson, and Miles Teller as lawyer and manager John Branca, among others.
Filming wrapped in May 2024, but John Logan’s script is reportedly in the process of being revised ahead of reshoots.
According to reports in January, director Antoine Fuqua was forced to significantly rework the final act of his film due to a legal issue over the inclusion of a sexual abuse accuser. They are reportedly unable to show Jordan Chandler, who was allegedly molested by Jackson when he was 13 in the ’90s. The singer denied the allegation, and they eventually settled the case.
Lionsgate bosses have yet to comment on the latest report.
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