It appears that the life of Michael Jackson will be cast upon the big screen in the near future. Backed by Sony, Antoine Fuqua will direct a biopic about Jackson’s life called Michael.
“The first films of my career were music videos, and I still feel that combining film and music are a deep part of who I am,” Fuqua told Deadline.
“For me, there is no artist with the power, the charisma, and the sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson. I was influenced to make music videos by watching his work – the first Black artist to play in heavy rotation on MTV.”
Alongside Fuqua, Graham King will produce the script written by John Logan. The film has been described as a “passion project” for the writer and producer. Logan is best known for his work on the James Bond films, Skyfall and Spectre. Meanwhile, King is best known for his work on the Freddie Mercury biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody. As for Fuqua, he recently led the Will Smith project, Emancipation.
Exact details regarding Logan’s script are still under wraps, but early reports indicate the Jackson biopic will chronicle his entire life.
“Sources tell us that the film will undoubtedly make the most of Jackson’s musical accomplishments and re-creation of seminal career highlights beginning with the days he fronted The Jackson 5 as a child to his hitmaking work as the biggest musical star in the world as an adult,” Justin Kroll and Mike Fleming Jr. of Deadline, who broke the news, wrote.
“But it will also deal squarely with the pedophile accusations that dogged his later years up to his death in 2009 at age 50, from cardiac arrest caused by a cocktail of sedatives.”
