Jaafar Jackson has been cast as his late uncle, Michael Jackson, in an upcoming biopic documenting the singerā€™s life.

Jaafar, who is the son of Jacksonā€™s brother and fellow Jackson 5 member Jermaine, was announced as part of the filmā€™s cast earlier today (January 31). Antoine Fuqua, who is on board to direct the biopic ā€“ titled Michael ā€“ said he was ā€œproud to announce [Jaafar] as Michael ā€“ the motion picture event that explores the journey of the man who became the King of Popā€.

A release date for Michael has not yet been announced, but Fuqua wrote that it is ā€œcoming soon.ā€ The announcement post features Jaafar recreating Jacksonā€™s distinctive choreography while wearing his trademark fedora hat. Jaafar has been singing since the age of 12, and released his first original single, ā€˜Got Me Singingā€™ in 2019.

Speaking of the role, which marks his first major acting credit, in his own social media post Jaafar said: ā€œIā€™m humbled and honored to bring my Uncle Michaelā€™s story to life. To all the fans all over the world, Iā€™ll see you soon.ā€ In a statement to Variety, Michael Jacksonā€™s mother said Jaafar ā€œembodies my son.ā€ She continued: ā€œItā€™s so wonderful to see him carry on the Jackson legacy of entertainers and performersā€.

Alongside Fuqua, who has also directed The Equalizer, Training Day and Emancipation, the Jackson biopic also credits John Logan as a screenwriter and Graham King as a producer. In 2018, King produced Bohemian Rhapsody, the biopic about Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. Michael will be co-produced by the co-executors of Jacksonā€™s estate, John Branca and John McClain.

According to Deadline, the biopic will document Jacksonā€™s origins in The Jackson 5 and his meteoric rise to fame, as well as the sexual assault allegations levelled against him in the years leading up to his death in 2009. Reports of a film chronicling Jacksonā€™s life emerged in November 2019, with the singer’s nephew TJ providing an update in mid-2022.

The post Michael Jackson to be played by his nephew Jaafar in upcoming biopic appeared first on NME.

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