‘Michael 2’ Will Explore Child Abuse Allegations From Michael Jackson’s “Point of View,” Jaafar Jackson Says

I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of looking forward to the “Michael” sequel. Whether Vantoine directs it or John Logan, it doesn’t matter—it’s an inevitable sh*tshow that will result from its making and release.

How can you possibly cover ’90s Michael Jackson without tackling the … spectacle that followed? The oxygen chamber; Neverland Ranch; the veils, the face masks, and the blatant plastic surgery that turned his appearance into a constantly shifting identity. Most of all, everyone involved will have to tackle all the allegations that plagued Jackson.

Of course, with the Jackson estate overseeing the IP, it will almost certainly be watered down. There’s no question about that. And if you had any doubt about that—which I doubt you ever did—then Jaafar Jackson has basically confirmed it.

In a new interview with GQ Middle East, Jackson says the sequel will be his uncle’s point of view on all the child abuse allegations.

I think the second film will give even more insight from his point of view, because at the end of the day, [the allegations] are always from someone else’s. It’s someone else’s story. It’s someone else’s idea of what it is, and it’s mainly driven by an agenda. And that’s really the issue we’ve been having as a family—not having Michael’s voice being heard. I think that’s very, very important, especially in the late years.

According to Jaafar, before the fame, before the headlines, there was Michael Jackson “the human.” The first film took audiences back to his roots, exploring the human being behind the legend and the journey that shaped him, and the sequel works on that.

He never changed that purity, that sense of always wanting to find the good in other people. And no matter all the stuff he went through, how he was treated, what things were said about him, he never stopped treating people with kindness. He never stopped believing in and wanting to look for the good in people… even though he was broken, his heart still stayed the same… I hope that this is felt in the second movie.

All the complaints from critics that “Michael” was sanitized may ultimately prove justified once the sequel arrives. However, much like the first film, audiences will still show up—they want to hear the great tunes. The difference is that, unlike the first film, this sequel will tackle a decade when the music was overshadowed by the drama.

Seeing this purely from the Jackson estate’s point of view, the sequel is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them. The first film made well over $1 billion, and the sequel already has 30–40% of its scenes shot, which means it won’t cost as much to produce—they have nothing to lose here. Audiences will still show up, so they might as well make the sequel a total defense and supposed exoneration of Michael Jackson.

While Lionsgate has not disclosed a budget for the sequel, the first one cost $200M. “Michael 2” is targeting a production start toward “the end of 2026 or early 2027,” and the studio expects it to reach theaters sometime between late 2027 and early 2028.