Colman Domingo opens up about the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic.
via: People
Michael, scheduled for an April 18, 2025, release, will "shine a different light on Michael Jackson,” Domingo, 54, told Entertainment Tonight at the June 30 BET Awards, where he was nominated for best actor.
The King of Pop, who in the biopic will be played by his real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson, left a complicated legacy that included multiple sexual abuse allegations following his death at age 50 in 2009.
"Michael Jackson is undeniably one of the most prolific artists that has ever been on this planet," Domingo told the outlet. "He's a complicated human being, and I think what the film will do is tell the story of a very complicated person."
The Oscar-nominated Rustin star joins Jaafar, 27, onscreen as Michael’s father Joe, who managed the Jackson 5 and daughters Rebbie, La Toya and Janet from the 1960s through the ’80s.
Nia Long plays Jackson matriarch Katherine Jackson, while 9-year-old Juliano Krue Valdi portrays a Jackson 5-era Michael, and Miles Teller plays Michael’s lawyer and manager John Branca.
Michael recreates for the screen the pop star’s “triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale — from his human side and personal struggles to his undeniable creative genius, exemplified by his most iconic performances,” per its official synopsis.
“As never before, audiences will experience an inside look into one of the most influential, trailblazing artists the world has ever known.”
Said Domingo to ET, "Honestly, I think it's gonna surprise people what we're gonna do with this film. It's gonna be epic."
He added particular praise for the biopic’s leading man. “When people watch Jaafar Jackson and what he does, they're gonna be blown away," continued the actor. "There's sort of this spiritual connection that he has with his late uncle. It's beautiful."
Jaafar is the son of Jermaine, who performed alongside brothers Jackie, Tito, Marlon and Michael since their Jackson 5 days.
Glimpses of Jaafar in action as his uncle on the movie's set have surfaced since the January 2023 announcement of his casting. Most recently, the actor could be seen recreating the "Thriller" music video, one of several iconic musical moments Michael will include.
Domingo also stars in the A24 film Sing Sing (in theaters July 12), a drama about the Rehabilitation Through the Arts theater program at New York’s Sing Sing Correctional Facility featuring formerly incarcerated alumni of the program. His acclaimed play Wild with Happy recently premiered as an audio adaptation on Audible.
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