(TheLibertyRevolution.com)- Lionsgate movie studio announced on Monday that Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson’s 26-year-old nephew, will portray the King of Pop in Antoine Fuqua’s forthcoming biopic “Michael.”
The movie’s producer, Graham King, said he met Jaafar over two years ago and was “blown away by how he naturally personifies the spirit and personality of Michael.”
“Jaafar embodies my son. It’s so wonderful to see him carry on the Jackson legacy of entertainers and performers,” said Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson.
King previously produced the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, which won an Oscar.
“I’m overjoyed that he’s agreed to play his uncle, and I can’t wait for everyone to see him in Michael Jackson on the big screen.”
He said they scoured the globe, but it was obvious that he was the only person qualified to play the role.
Later this year, “Michael” will start principal photography. King and John Branca and John McClain, the co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate, will produce it. John Logan, the author of “Gladiator,” wrote the script. Logan also authored Skyfall and Spectre, The Aviator, and other James Bond movies.
Jackson’s estate co-executors John Branca and John McClain is co-producers. Before “Michael,” King and Logan worked together on Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator.”
The Michael Jackson estate is collaborating on the film, which is likely to have an impact on how the singer’s life is portrayed, including whether or not it will include any of the child sexual abuse claims that were made against Jackson both before and after his death.
Jackson has consistently defended his innocence, and in 2005, a jury returned a not-guilty verdict.
While the film’s studio, Lionsgate, stated it will include “the most famous performances that drove him to become the greatest performer of all time,” the movie’s director, Fuqua, said Michael “explores the path of the man who became the King of Pop.”
