Jaafar Jackson hopes ‘Michael’ sequel tells uncle’s side of abuse allegations

Jaafar Jackson, who plays his late uncle Michael Jackson in the biopic Michael, hopes the planned sequel will offer a deeper look at the child sexual abuse allegations against the pop star from his perspective.

Speaking about the follow-up film, Jaafar said he has no control over which parts of Michael Jackson’s later life will feature in the sequel. However, he said it was important for the film to give the singer a voice in a story that has largely been told through the accounts of others.

“I think the second film will give even more insight from his point of view,” Jaafar said, adding that the family’s concern had long been that Michael’s perspective was not being heard.

Michael Jackson faced allegations of child sexual abuse from the 1990s onwards. He denied the allegations throughout his life. The singer died in 2009, aged 50.

The first Michael film, released in April, ends its story in 1988 and focuses largely on Jackson’s childhood, his rise to fame with his brothers and the beginning of his solo career. Director Antoine Fuqua had previously said the original cut included material relating to the allegations, but the released film does not cover the later period in which they emerged.

Jaafar, the son of Michael Jackson’s brother Jermaine Jackson, said the first film was designed to establish who his uncle was before addressing the more controversial years of his life.

He described Michael as someone who retained his kindness despite the difficulties and public scrutiny he faced. Jaafar also said his uncle was “broken”, but maintained that his compassion did not change.

“I hope that this is felt in the second movie,” he said.

A sequel is already being developed. Miles Teller, who portrayed Michael Jackson’s lawyer-manager John Branca in the first film, confirmed earlier this year that work on a follow-up was under way.

The studio is reportedly aiming to begin production towards the end of 2026 or early 2027.

The first Michael film became a major box-office success, crossing $1 billion globally in July and becoming the highest-grossing biopic to date.