Michael 2 Closer To Production at Lionsgate

We can confirm that Michael Jackson will return in Michael 2 as the sequel to the smash-hit musical biopic on the King of Pop is about to begin production at Lionsgate. The film will see Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, return as the culturally significant musician in his late to early thirties, known as the Bad era to Moonwalkers, as he takes on another world tour and album success.

Antonie Fuqua directed the first film, which charted Jackson’s origins in a band with his brothers and his breaking away from his father’s iron grip to start a solo career which saw the creation of the highest-selling album of all time, Thriller. Michael additionally starred Nia Long, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Laura Harrier, Jessica Sula, Mike Myers, Miles Teller, Colman Domingo and Juliano Vardi.

The film concluded in 1988, with Jackson performing at London’s Wembley Stadium for his UK leg of the Bad tour, with a black screen with text stating “His Story Continues.”

Following immense box office success, which has placed Fuqua’s film as the third highest-grossing 2026 release, the highest-grossing musical biopic, the highest-grossing biopic and the highest-grossing Lionsgate feature, thanks to a global box office gross of $1.021 billion from a budget of $155-$120 million, a sequel was confirmed in May.

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Now, Adam Fogelson, Lionsgate’s motion picture chief, has shared a statement alongside news of the studio’s goal of starting production for Michael 2 in late 2026 or early 2027.

“We have a number of sequences, particularly some big musical sequences, that were shot previously, that are almost sure to be incorporated,” Fogelson has stated. “We are mostly focused right now on how to make sure we can deliver, at the right price, the biggest, best sequel. That is what the audience is going to want and deserve after the experience we gave them the first time.”

Questions on how the biopic would tackle a 45-year-long career consisting of numerous album eras, public controversies and existence as one of music and culture’s most groundbreaking and recognised would suffice, with initial production on the first film considering an immediate two-parter before settling on testing out just one film.

There are reports that around 30% of material scrapped from Michael due to legal issues concerning the 1993 abuse case and re-shoots could be added to the follow-up film documenting Jackson’s later life, and Fogelson has always affirmed responses to the first film would decide if the studio could take on another leg of the musician’s iconic story.

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Ros Tibbs

Editor

Ros is a film and lit graduate writing news and reviews at The People's Magazine. She also writes long-form film theory, film history, analytical or curated recommendations pieces on other platforms.

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