{"id":51020,"date":"2025-11-06T15:39:40","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T15:39:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/06\/a-weirdly-upbeat-take-on-his-life\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T15:39:40","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T15:39:40","slug":"a-weirdly-upbeat-take-on-his-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/06\/a-weirdly-upbeat-take-on-his-life\/","title":{"rendered":"A Weirdly Upbeat Take on His Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/michael\/\" id=\"auto-tag_michael\" data-tag=\"michael\">Michael<\/a> Jackson previously described his time in the Jackson 5 as filled with physical abuse by his father, with the whole experience robbing him of his childhood \u2014 but in the relentlessly upbeat first trailer for <em>Michael<\/em>, we see only family fun in glimpses of that period. Overall, the teaser presents an entirely triumphant view of a life that, even in Jackson\u2019s own telling, had its share of strife and unhappiness, despite his creation of some of the greatest and most influential pop and R&amp;B of the 20th century.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Michael (2026) Official Teaser - Jaafar Jackson\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/723RZxnDWKE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe preview opens with Jackson (played by his nephew <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/jaafar-jackson\/\" id=\"auto-tag_jaafar-jackson\" data-tag=\"jaafar-jackson\">Jaafar Jackson<\/a>) in a recording studio with producer Quincy Jones (Kendrick Sampson). \u201cI know you\u2019ve been waiting a long time for this,\u201d Jones says. \u201cThe tracks are made, the songs are ready. Let\u2019s take it from the top.\u201d Set to Jackson\u2019s 1982 classic \u201cWanna Be Startin\u2019 Somethin\u2019,\u201d the trailer goes on to show career highlights, including the making of <em>Thriller<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe film, directed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/antoine-fuqua\/\" id=\"auto-tag_antoine-fuqua\" data-tag=\"antoine-fuqua\">Antoine Fuqua<\/a>, wrapped production in May 2024, but the Jackson estate reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-news\/michael-jackson-biopic-delayed-accuser-legal-violation-1235245773\/\">discovered<\/a> that the completed film violated a decades-old legal agreement with the family of Jordan Chandler, who accused Jackson of molesting him in 1993 when Chandler was 13. Puck reported that the original script made the Chandler case central to the film\u2019s third act, portraying Jackson as an alleged victim of extortion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe estate reportedly overlooked the legal issue during script approval, forcing extensive reshoots in March 2025. The film\u2019s release date was initially scheduled for April 2025, but was then moved to October 2025, and subsequently to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-news\/michael-jackson-biopic-april-2026-release-1235393027\/\">April 2026.<\/a> Early reports indicated a nearly four-hour cut that Lionsgate considered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/tv-movies\/tv-movie-news\/antoine-fuqua-michael-jackson-biopic-two-films-delayed-1235346829\/\">splitting<\/a> into two films.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tJackson\u2019s daughter, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/paris-jackson\/\" id=\"auto-tag_paris-jackson\" data-tag=\"paris-jackson\">Paris Jackson<\/a>, distanced herself from the project after Domingo told <em>People Magazine<\/em> that she and her brother, Prince, were \u201cvery much in support\u201d of the film. \u201cDon\u2019t be telling people I was \u2018helpful\u2019 on the set of a movie I had 0% involvement in,\u201d she wrote on Instagram. Paris said she read an early script and provided notes about inaccuracies and \u201cfull-blown lies,\u201d but producers ignored her concerns. \u201cThe film panders to a very specific section of my dad\u2019s fandom that still lives in the fantasy,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd they\u2019re going to be happy with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"brands-most-popular \/\/ recirculation-modules trending-in-article lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-a-2 u-box-shadow-5-5 lrv-u-padding-lr-1 a-span1 u-padding-b-1@tablet u-overflow-hidden\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  lrv-u-text-align-center u-border-color-black a-font-theme-primary-xxs lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-letter-spacing-0063 lrv-u-padding-t-050 u-padding-b-0375@tablet lrv-u-padding-b-050@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-2\">\n<p>\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"brands-most-popular \/\/ editors-pick-module lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-a-2 u-box-shadow-5-5 lrv-u-padding-lr-1 a-span1 u-padding-b-1@tablet u-overflow-hidden\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  lrv-u-text-align-center u-border-color-black a-font-theme-primary-xxs lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-letter-spacing-0063 lrv-u-padding-t-050 u-padding-b-0375@tablet lrv-u-padding-b-050@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-2\">\n<p>\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tDan Reed, director of HBO\u2019s 2019 documentary <em>Leaving Neverland<\/em>, which focuses on two men who accuse Jackson of sexual abuse, has repeatedly criticized the biopic as a \u201ccomplete whitewash.\u201d Earlier this month, the Financial Times <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/c6f1e15c-e084-4c13-b717-744db61b93ad\" target=\"_blank\">reported<\/a> that the estate reached a $2.5 million settlement this year with a separate set of accusers. Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who appeared in <em>Leaving Neverland<\/em>, have a negligence lawsuit against Jackson\u2019s production companies scheduled for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-news\/michael-jackson-accusers-robson-safechuck-trial-biopic-1234977881\/\">trial<\/a> in 2026. Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges in a 2005 criminal trial, and the estate has consistently denied all allegations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe film\u2019s cast also includes Miles Teller as Jackson\u2019s attorney, John Branca; Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson; Nia Long as Katherine Jackson; Jessica Sula as LaToya Jackson; Larenz Tate as Motown founder Berry Gordy; Laura Harrier as music executive Suzanne de Passe; and Kat Graham as Diana Ross. Graham King, who produced <em>Bohemian Rhapsody,<\/em> serves as producer alongside Branca and John McClain, co-executors of the Jackson estate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-features\/first-michael-trailer-upbeat-take-on-michael-jacksons-life-1235460700\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michael Jackson previously described his time in the Jackson 5 as filled with physical abuse by his father, with the whole experience robbing him&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":51021,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pop","article","has-excerpt","has-avatar","has-author","has-date","has-comment-count","has-category-meta","has-read-more","thumbnail-"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51020"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51020\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}