Lionsgate released a first teaser trailer today for “Michael,” the Michael Jackson biopic directed by Antoine Fuqua and led by the late icon’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson. The preview offers the clearest look yet at Jaafar’s transformation, cutting between studio sessions and recreations of signature performances, including moments that evoke the “Thriller” era and the early solo years. The film is currently slated to open in theaters on April 24, 2026.
The teaser opens with Quincy Jones in the control room cueing Jackson to start a take, then flashes through concert stages, music-video sets, and close-ups of choreography that mirror the star’s precision and stage presence. Snippets of familiar tracks underscore the montage as the footage positions the story as both a performance film and a behind-the-scenes portrait.
Alongside Jaafar Jackson, the cast includes Colman Domingo as family patriarch Joe Jackson, Nia Long as Katherine Jackson, and Miles Teller as attorney and later estate co-executor John Branca. Kendrick Sampson portrays producer Quincy Jones, with Laura Harrier as Suzanne de Passe and Kat Graham as Diana Ross. Larenz Tate appears as Motown founder Berry Gordy, and Juliano Krue Valdi portrays Michael in his younger years.
Fuqua directs from a screenplay by John Logan. The project is produced by Graham King, who previously shepherded “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Marketing materials emphasize a scope that spans Jackson’s rise from child performer to global figure, aiming to balance concert spectacle with the private pressures that came with unprecedented fame. The studio is positioning this first look as a tone-setting introduction ahead of a fuller trailer rollout closer to release.
