‘Michael 2’ gets major update as Lionsgate teases King of Pop’s return to the big screen
The King of Pop is set to return to the big screen. Lionsgate has confirmed that it is working on the sequel to ‘Michael’, the Michael Jackson biopic. During the studio's Q1 earnings call on August 6, Adam Fogelson, Motion Picture Group chair at Lionsgate, revealed, “We are targeting a production start towards the end of this year or early next,” as quoted by Deadline. Speaking about the release window, he added, “I think that end of calendar ’27 and the first half of calendar ’28 would be the current thought of roughly where the movie would go.” However, he was careful not to confirm major details, as plans could change in the future. Production timelines can often shift, as delays and roadblocks are all part of the process. Take ‘Michael’ itself, for example.
The movie was originally planned for release in November 2025, but it was postponed and eventually made its way to theaters in April 2026, around six months later. The setback was because the Jackson estate had to reshoot a few scenes. That's likely why Fogelson stated, “We’re not ready to announce everything at the moment.” It is not hard to see why Lionsgate decided to move ahead with a sequel. The biopic earned more than $1 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing music biopic in history, as per Billboard. As for what fans can expect from the sequel, Fogelson said, “We do have a number of sequences, particularly some big musical sequences, that were shot previously, that are almost sure to be incorporated, but we are mostly focused right now on how to make sure we can deliver, at the right price, the biggest, best sequel.”
He added, “That is what the audience is going to want and deserve after the experience we gave them the first time. So we’re not ready to give guidance on the budget yet, but we certainly will be able to take advantage of some stuff that we previously shot, as I had said before.” The first film follows Michael Jackson's early life and career and stars his real-life nephew, Jaafar Jackson, in the lead role. It is currently available to watch on Starz and Prime Video.
