‘Michael’ Will Be “Sanitized” 2-Hour Biopic Avoiding the Singer’s Controversies

As reported, the long-delayed Michael Jackson biopic, titled “Michael,” finally has a release date — April 24, 2026 — but don’t expect a full portrait of the King of Pop just yet.

On Wednesday, following the official release date announcement for “Michael,” I reported on whispers of a potential second film (Part II) that could head into production in 2026 for a 2027 release. The reason? It’s pretty straightforward: there’s a lot of material that didn’t make the final cut. Most of the film’s back half, particularly the portion covering Jackson’s tumultuous 1990s, has been left on the cutting room floor.

What’s now heading to theaters is effectively just part one of, what producers hope will be, a planned two-part saga. That wasn’t always the plan. Initially conceived as a comprehensive take on Jackson’s life, the film’s third act was recently reworked and reshot following behind-the-scenes pressure.

Why the late-game changes? A previously overlooked legal settlement between Jackson’s estate and a former child sexual abuse accuser quietly upended the film’s original ending. Rather than dive into the darker, more controversial years of Jackson’s life — which were said to include references to the allegations that shadowed him in the 1990s and 2000s — screenwriter John Logan (“Gladiator,” “The Aviator”) was asked to shift gears.

Sources are telling Puck‘s Matt Belloni that what he delivered instead is reportedly a more sanitized, “Bohemian Rhapsody”-style finale, culminating in a concert sequence that sources describe as “uplifting” and “crowd-pleasing.” In short: no courtrooms, no scandal. Not yet, anyway.

Producer Graham King is still pushing for a second film that would pick up where “Michael” leaves off — that is, sometime after Jackson’s late-’80s peak. Whether part two happens will likely depend on how “Michael” performs at the box office. Lionsgate and Universal are keeping their options open. Belloni re-confirms my intel suggesting the “sequel” could go into production aka reshoots as early as mid-2026 for a potential 2027 release.

The final cut of “Michael” is said to run significantly shorter than earlier versions, which clocked in at almost four hours. Trimming the more controversial material has made for a leaner and more commercially palatable package, but also one that, for now, avoids confronting the most difficult legal chapters of Jackson’s life.

If part one is the myth, part two may be the reckoning — assuming it ever gets released.