‘Michael’: Michael Jackson Biopic Sets April 18, 2025 as Release Date!!

The latest major musical biopic to grace Hollywood has finally set a release date, as Lionsgate Films has announced that Michael, the upcoming film about Michael Jackson, will go moonwalking into theaters on April 18, 2025. The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua, will star Jackson‘s nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role, chronicling the life of the iconic pop star.

Lionsgate is slotting Michael into the release date previously held by Universal Pictures‘ The Exorcist: Deciever. However, director David Gordon Green recently dropped out of the film, and Universal, which owns the international distribution rights to Michael, will use that date to release the Jackson biopic overseas instead. The plot points of Michael remain mostly in the dark, but both Lionsgate and Fuqua have said that the project will follow every aspect of the troubled singer’s life.

“Michael will bring audiences a riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant yet complicated man who became the King of Pop. The film presents his triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale — from his human side and personal struggles to his undeniable creative genius, exemplified by his most iconic performances,” according to a synopsis from Lionsgate. “As never before, audiences will experience an inside look into one of the most influential, trailblazing artists the world has ever known.”

‘Michael’ Will Address the Controversial Aspects of the Singer’s Life

Michael Jackson has become just as well known for his music as he was for his troubled background, and later in life, an array of sexual abuse allegations against children. Fuqua, known for helming the Equalizer series, The Magnificent Seven and Emancipation, has said that the film will not shy away from some of the more controverisal aspects of Jackson‘s life.

The film will stick to “the facts as I know it,” Fuqua told Collider in an interview. The director added that he hopes the film provides “a better insight on Michael [Jackson] as an artist, as a human being — the good, bad, and the ugly — and let people decide for themselves on what they feel about Michael Jackson.” One hint as to what the film may entail could come from Graham King, one of the producers on Michael, who also worked as a producer on Bohemian Rhapsody, the 2018 biopic of rock band Queen. In a statement accompanying the release date, King said he was “excited for the film to show audiences around the world a perspective of Michael that they’ve never seen.”

Fuqua directed Michael from a script by John Logan, known for penning the screenplays to Gladiator and The Aviator. The film is produced by King through his GK Films banner alongside John McClain and John Branca, the co-executors of Michael Jackson‘s estate.