*The Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” is finally heading to theaters this month — but it is a very different film from the one that was originally made.
Variety reports that the Antoine Fuqua-directed production was so dramatically reshaped during 2025 reshoots that the finished film bears little resemblance to what was first assembled. The changes reach well beyond surface-level edits, touching the film’s structure, themes, and conclusion. The root of the problem was a legal oversight that forced the story in an entirely new direction.
The film was centered on Jordan Chandler’s allegations that Michael Jackson sexually abused him when he was 13. Jackson’s estate ultimately settled with the Chandlers out of court for a reported $25 million. The settlement included a clause preventing the Chandlers from being depicted in any film about Jackson’s life. However, the movie’s script, which focused heavily on the Chandler case, overlooked this restriction during the approval process. Once the oversight was discovered, a major rewrite became unavoidable.
The new conclusion to Jackson’s story now ends on a triumphant note, with the film’s closing moments set backstage during the “Bad” tour, according to someone familiar with the finished cut.
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Getting there was costly. The production required 22 more days of shooting and swelled the budget by $15 million beyond its original $155 million. Relocating the reshoots from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles also knocked the project out of eligibility for state tax rebates, pushing expenses even higher. The estate, whose oversight created the problem, covered those additional costs and was granted an equity stake in the film as a result. Jackson’s nephew Jafaar Jackson carries the film in the lead role.
The film unpacks Michael’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,” per the official synopsis.
“Michael” arrives in theaters on April 24.
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