Michael Jackson Biopic Faces Delays Due to Legal Oversight on Accuser Agreement

The film's third act must be rewritten and reshot after discovering a decades-old settlement prohibits dramatizing a key accuser's story.

The upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, 'Michael,' has been delayed to October 2025 after legal issues surfaced with its original script.
A settlement between Jackson and the Chandler family in 1993 prohibits any dramatization of their story, which the film's third act heavily relied on.
The Jackson estate, which approved the script, reportedly overlooked the settlement clause, leading to significant rewrites and reshoots for the film.
The $150 million production, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson, will begin reshoots in March 2025.
The film's producers and Lionsgate remain optimistic about meeting the revised release date despite the extensive changes required.