‘Michael’ Sequel Targets Late 2027/Early 2028 Release

After a few slow weeks, the news cycle is starting to pick up as the fall fests near.

Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Adam Fogelson has given an update on the “Michael” sequel, the studio’s blockbuster Michael Jackson biopic, which hit $1 billion at the box office this year. There had been teases here and there, but not too many details regarding the release window.

According to Fogelson, speaking on a Q1 call with analysts, ‘Michael 2’ — should we call it that? — is targeting a production start toward “the end of 2026 or early 2027.” Lionsgate will announce more details soon, but the project is actively being developed, and the studio expects it to reach theaters sometime between late 2027 and early 2028.

While Lionsgate has not disclosed a budget for the sequel, the first one cost $200M. Fogelson confirmed that previously filmed material — including several major musical sequences — could be incorporated. There were previous reports that 30% of the sequel had already been shot because Fuqua had to entirely cut the second half of the film, tackling the ‘90s, due to a lawsuit from one of Jackson’s accusers.

No word yet on whether Vantoine Fuqua will return to direct the sequel. He just had his Hannibal the Conqueror biopic shelved by Netflix, only weeks before it was supposed to start production.

My only question is: 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.

Forget the allegations — with the Jackson estate overseeing the IP, and the singer’s accusers threatening legal action if the film so much as mentions their claims, it will almost certainly be watered down. That’s likely what writer John Logan is trying to figure out at the moment, and a big reason why the screenplay still hasn’t been completed — how exactly do you write this movie?

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