“Michael,” the smash hit biopic, makes it clear that moviegoers haven’t seen the last of Michael Jackson, with the film ending with the words, “His Story Continues.” And Lionsgate, the studio behind the film, told investors and analysts on a quarterly earnings call on Thursday that it is hard at work on a sequel.
“We are really excited about the progress we’re making with respect to a second ‘Michael’ film,” Adam Fogelson, the company’s film chief said. “All the conversations that we’ve been having with all of the appropriate parties continue to go exceptionally well.”
The first “Michael” wraps up with the King of Pop in the middle of 1987’s “Bad” tour. That leaves several decades of material — from successes such as “Dangerous” to controversies like the multiple allegations of child sexual abuse that dogged Jackson for the rest of his life.
“I would say that there is a ton of incredibly entertaining Michael Jackson story, and much of the biggest and most popular parts of his music catalog that were not touched upon in the first film,” Fogelson added. “There are so many other events that happened, even in the time frame of the original movie that weren’t touched upon, so we’re very, very confident that we’ve got an incredibly entertaining movie that will appeal once again to a global audience as the pieces come together.”
He also noted that things might not be chronological. “We can go forwards and backwards in telling this story,” Fogelson teased.
“Michael” may be a massive box office hit, but its production was chaotic. The film was supposed to explore the impact of the molestation allegations on Jackson’s life, with much of its third act devoted to the scandal. But that those plans had to be scrapped, along with any mention of the accusations, after attorneys for the Jackson estate, which served as a producer, realized there was a clause in a settlement with one of the singer’s accusers, Jordan Chandler, that barred the depiction or mention of him in any movie. It’s unclear how any follow-up film would deal with that period of Jackson’s life without running afoul of the terms of that settlement.
However, Fogelson said that some of the material that was cut could be used in a sequel, which would potentially lower costs on the film.
“We think we’ve got 25 to 30% of a second movie already shot from the from the prior production activity, and so obviously that will have some [financial] benefit ultimately, but we’re going to make sure we make a big and satisfying movie for a global audience once again,” Fogelson said.
“Michael” carried a production budget of more than $155 million. It has grossed more than $700 million at the box office, making it one of the biggest hits of 2026.
Leave a Reply