Like Michael Jackson himself, his biopic, Michael is wildly popular, the fastest movie of the year to cross $100 million in earnings, and it’s on its way to $400 million in ten days. A billion-dollar haul seems in sight, which would make it the highest-earning biopic…ever.

Michael 2, though clearly it won’t be called that, would be an unusual sequel as obviously most biopics do not have sequels. But given the point at which the movie ends, right before a significant portion of his life, and a less cheery one, a sequel seems like it would work. And it will work. Michael 2 is happening, and now details are emerging about what that will look like.

Michael 2 Potential Release Date

New information says that Michael 2 could begin production as early as 2026, or possibly into 2027, as it’s reliant on when director Antoine Fuqua is available. He’s listed as having a TV show, Sammy the Bull, in pre-production, but also an untitled project with Denzel Washington. But even Denzel may not stop him from making a follow-up to the highest-earning biopic ever made.

We can extrapolate out a release date or window if we split the difference and say production begins in January. The original Michael’s filming was delayed because of the SAG-AFTRA strike, but eventually started in early 2024, which ended in May 2024 with some reshoots in June. Then, the film was released on April 24, 2026, as we just saw.

So, if production begins at the start of 2027 and we’re looking at about 28 months for filming and post-production, that would put the release almost exactly three years from now, April 2029. Honestly, not terrible for a big movie sequel in today’s Hollywood.

However, there’s a catch here. Due to the way the film was filmed and re-edited, there is already a large amount of existing footage of this time of Michael’s life in the can. If a significant portion of that could be used, that may slim down the time closer to two years. We’ll have to see.

Michael 2 Allegations and Controversies

The original Michael is focused on his youth and growth into a solo artist, the main conflict being with his father, Joe Jackson. But there would be no avoiding the latter half of his life, and that’s already been spoken about by those involved with the project. “There’s a possibility of there being a part two that may deal with some other things that happened afterwards,” Joe Jackson actor Colman Domingo said , where now that’s not just a possibility any longer.

The movie itself says “his story continues” at the end, and there was an odd situation where the final third of the movie was meant to deal with his molestation allegations, including scenes of him about to be arrested by police and the Neverland Ranch being searched. That was scrapped, reportedly due to an accuser not being allowed to be named or appear in this or any film at all. But a second film about the ‘90s and ‘00s would figure out a way around that, no doubt, to tell the rest of the story.

There would still be music, of course, with several world tours to cover from Dangerous to HIStory, and the first film was so popular in part because of its explosive performances, which could not be shelved for a sequel, no matter what else is covered. He was also married during this time to Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe. But this is when his legal issues start in earnest.

  • In 1993, he was accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old, which was settled for $23 million, and this is the case that produced the “no depiction issues.”
  • In 2003, Jackson was charged with child molestation and went on trial in 2005, where he was ultimately acquitted.
  • Finally, there was his death in 2009 at age 50 due to propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication. His doctor, Conrad Murray, was convicted in 2011 of involuntary manslaughter for his role in providing and administering those medicines.

So yes, this would be quite the tone change from the original film. The debate about Michael’s guilt or innocence has produced fervent arguments on both sides, and it’s unclear how the film would position itself should it cover the material. We’ll find out in three years, most likely.