Movie audiences are going to get their first look at the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic soon, as release details for the first Michael trailer have been revealed ahead of the movie’s April 24, 2026, release date.
As reported by Puck on Monday, October 6, the Michael trailer will premiere in November, with it attached to screenings of Wicked: For Good, which releases in movie theaters on November 21. It is not clear if the trailer will be made available online before then.
The Michael biopic stars Jackson’s real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson as the King of Pop, with Colman Domingo, Miles Teller, Kat Graham, Laura Harrier, and Nia Long also starring. Antoine Fuqua directs, with a script from John Logan.
The debut of the trailer will mark the home stretch of the movie’s long journey to the big screen. Michael was initially scheduled to release in theaters on April 18, 2025, but production delays resulted in the movie being pushed to October 2025. Legal troubles then arose that forced a reworking of the movie and its reshuffling to its current 2026 date.
Again in a report from Puck, the issue surrounding the forced reworking involves the inclusion of case involving Jordan Chandler, who alleged that Michael Jackson molested him when Chandler was 13. Jackson ultimately paid a $20 settlement to Chandler, but according to Puck there is also an agreement that prohibits filmmakers from dramatizing the Chandlers and their story.
Because of this, the decision was made to split Michael into two separate films. The first film, which will be the trailer audiences are shown in November, focuses on Jackson’s rise to fame, peaking in the 1980s. The second film would cover the latter portion of Jackson’s life and career, including his legal scandals.
It is not a given, however, that the second film will ever be released. While footage that would be used in the second part has been filmed, with additional footage still needed, whether or not part two is greenlit will depend on how Michael is received by audiences.
If the second film is not approved, Puck says producers will simply “eat” all of the unused footage. It’s added that the Jackson estate is handling all costs ᴀssociated with these production issues.
That means that the first signs of audience sentiment toward the Michael biopic will come with the release of the first trailer. Based on the anticipation for Wicked: For Good, the sequel to 2024’s $756 million Wicked, many people will see the trailer when it plays in theaters.
