The upcoming Michael Jackson biopic Michael is no longer expected to arrive in theaters this year.
Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said during the company’s Q4 2025 earnings call on Thursday, May 22, that the film will “likely” move to 2026.
“In regard to our Michael Jackson biopic, we’re excited about the 3 1/2 hours of amazing footage from producer Graham King and director Antoine Fuqua, and we will be announcing a definitive release strategy and timing in the next few weeks,” Feltheimer said, both Variety and Indiewire reported.
“I would note that it is likely we will move Michael out of the fiscal year,” Feltheimer added.
The film was originally scheduled for release on April 18, 2025, before it was moved to Oct. 3, 2025.
Also Read: First Trailer for Michael Jackson Biopic ‘Michael’ Thrills Critics
Lionsgate also confirmed on the call that Michael will be split into two parts. Changes had been expected after the studio opted not to present new footage of the biopic at its CinemaCon 2025 presentation in Las Vegas last month for theater owners, vendors and film critics.
The studio rolled out the first official trailer for Michael at CinemaCon 2024.
“The reaction in the room was wow,” film reviewer Kathia Woods of “Cup of Soul Show” told Urban Hollywood 411 at the time.
The movie stars the King of Pop’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, who is the son of Jermaine Jackson.
The main cast also includes Colman Domingo as family patriarch Joe Jackson. Nia Long portrays Michael’s mother Katherine Jackson, and Miles Teller plays the singer’s longtime manager John Branca.
The biopic will take on Jackson’s “triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale — from his human side and personal struggles to his undeniable creative genius, captured by his most iconic performances,” Lionsgate has said.
The authorized biopic is produced by Graham King (Bohemian Rhapsody), along with John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of Jackson’s estate. Antoine Fuqua directs from a script written by John Logan (Gladiator).
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