After the audience at this week’s Michael premiere was treated to over two hours’ worth of hits, a title card came across the screen. In shimmery gold lettering, it read: “His Story Continues.”
For many of the stakeholders behind the Michael Jackson biopic, or anyone who has read the hundreds of headlines Michael and its unexpectedly protracted production generated over the past year, the proclamation could be read as either a defiant declaration or an open-ended question about the status of a Michael: Part 2.
The biopic was never intended to be a two-parter, but for the last year, under a messy cloud of reshoots and pushed release dates, the idea of splitting the film took form.
The title card was a relatively last-minute addition, according to a knowledgeable insider, who says it was only put in about a month ago, when the filmmakers and the studios behind Michael began to realize how successful the movie could become.
Clearly, studios Lionsgate and Universal, the Jackson Estate, and filmmakers including producer Graham King and director Antoine Fuqua wanna be startin’ somethin’. Still, a source tells THR that the script for that potential second film from writer John Logan has yet to be finished, and insiders claim nothing will be officially decided until Michael opens April 24.
“We absolutely have more story to tell,” Lionsgate film chair Adam Fogelson told THR on the red carpet at Monday night’s premiere. “We have prepared for that moment. And if the audience reinforces that they’re ready for more, we’re prepared to give it to them sooner rather than later.” But, Fogelson noted, the decision to make a sequel won’t be determined by box office totals alone but also by fan desire for more of Jackson’s story.
Of a sequel, King said at the premiere, “We’re definitely kicking around some ideas. We’ll see what happens very soon, but right now, I have so much anxiety about people seeing this one.”
Lionsgate is handling the domestic release of Michael, with Universal taking on international distribution. When it came on early tracking, Michael was estimated to earn $55 million to $60 million in domestic ticket sales; it has since increased to $65 to $70 million.
And Jackson’s international fanbase should not be underestimated. The film kicked off its press tour with a premiere in Berlin, Germany, which included a three-day fan experience. Michael’s international ticket sales are anticipated to add big gains to its box office total, with an expected global opening weekend in the $150 million range.
Michael opens after a long and twisty journey to the big screen.
Initially dated for April 2025, Michael landed on its final April 2026 release after it was discovered the film needed a major overhaul due to an oversight made by the Michael Jackson estate, which is backing the film. The original film featured Jackson battling accusations of child sexual abuse, which constituted much of its third act. But a past accuser had reached a settlement with the estate guaranteeing he would never be depicted in any future commercial projects.
As previously reported by THR, 22 days of additional shooting happened in June 2025, with added production costs paid for by the estate because of its error. At this time, a plan was pushed to studio partners to split the film into two separate movies.
From the beginning, Fuqua set out to make a more dramatic film, tackling the accusations of child molestation that tarnished Jackson’s legacy head-on. “I shot him being stripped naked, treated like an animal, a monster,” Fuqua told The New Yorker of shooting a scene when Neverland Ranch was raided by police. When the movie was reconfigured, King pushed for Michael to become a more uplifting story focused on Jackson’s music, forgoing scandal.
“This is not the movie [Fuqua] set out to make,” says the insider, who also added that the director and producer have since unified in the new vision of the film.
The new iteration of Michael — sans Jackson’s legal battles — is more likely to appeal to fans. The film now ends with the Jacksons’ 1984 Victory Tour, after which Jackson continues to strike out on his own, leading to the Bad album. At the premiere, during the film’s cinematic musical performances, it was hard to tell if the cheering and clapping were generated by crowds onscreen or the audience inside the Dolby. (Critics have been less kind to Michael, which currently has a 38 Metacritic score.)
With a focus on the music and performances, Michael has drawn comparisons to Bohemian Rhapsody, the biopic about Queen that was produced by King and earned over $900 million at the global box office and won star Rami Malek a best actor Oscar.
As for a potential sequel, usable footage from the initial shoot, including concert footage from the Dangerous and Invincible tours, could constitute as much as a third of a potential second film, according to sources. But those who have seen the movie also question what is left to tell, as the movie covered much of Jackson’s most popular music, and it’s unclear how a production unable or uninterested in tackling Jackson’s controversies would deal with the latter part of his life.
There is also the question of scheduling and production costs. Talent like Fuqua, along with in-demand cast like Colman Domingo, Nia Long and Miles Teller and breakout newcomer Jaafar Jackson, will have to be brought back and, if Michael is a success, could very well negotiate for higher paydays.
“It’s a sensitive topic,” a rep for one of the film’s onscreen talent says of the potential follow-up.
Still, if Michael does become the box office success it is trending to become, there will be plenty of incentive for an encore performance.
Tiffany Taylor and Pamela McClintock contributed to this report.
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