How Lionsgate found Jaafar Jackson for the ‘Michael’ biopic

Lionsgate has revealed how one of the greatest concerns surrounding Michael eventually led to one of the film’s biggest strengths.

According to exclusive comments shared with Rolling Stone Australia/New Zealand, producers behind the Michael Jackson biopic feared they might never find the right actor to portray the King of Pop. That concern disappeared after they met Jaafar Jackson, the late singer’s nephew, who ultimately took on the leading role.

The story behind the casting process has been highlighted as part of the film’s home entertainment release. The movie has now become the highest grossing music biopic of all time, further cementing its place among the most successful musical films in cinema history.

Executive producer Lydia Silverman explained that the production team knew the entire project depended on audiences believing the central performance.

“If everything else falls into place, it is never going to matter if people do not believe this is actually Michael Jackson,” Silverman said.

Producer Graham King, who previously guided Bohemian Rhapsody to Oscar success, admitted he privately worried about finding the right actor despite publicly expressing confidence.

King recalled discussing the challenge with industry figures throughout Hollywood while privately questioning how the team would accomplish such a difficult task.

Jaafar Jackson explained that when he first agreed to have lunch with King, he knew the producer had acquired the rights to tell Michael Jackson’s story. However, there was no studio or director attached at that stage, and he believed he was simply meeting King rather than actively auditioning.

“He thought I was auditioning for him in that lunch, and I was completely being myself,” Jackson said.

King described the encounter as transformative, saying he immediately felt he had found the perfect person to portray Michael Jackson.

The at home release of Michael also includes more than 60 minutes of additional material. Among the featurettes are Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough: The Making of Michael, which documents the film’s journey from development to completion, and Home Is Where His Heart Is: Behind the Gates of Hayvenhurst, focusing on the Jackson family home where Michael created early demos for several famous songs.

Other bonus content explores Jaafar Jackson’s transformation into his uncle and the recreation of some of Michael Jackson’s most celebrated performances.

Michael is now available to purchase or rent through home entertainment platforms.