It didn’t take long. Fresh off one of the biggest opening weekends in recent memory, Lionsgate is moving forward with a sequel to Michael, the highly anticipated biopic on the life of the King of Pop. Lionsgate chairman Adam Fogelson confirmed the news during an appearance on Matt Belloni‘s The Town podcast.
Michael opened to a staggering $218 million worldwide in its opening weekend alone, a record-smashing debut that made the case for a sequel before the credits even finished rolling.
The first Michael traces the arc of one of the most extraordinary origin stories in music history, from the formation of the Jackson 5 in 1966 through a brief glimpse of the iconic Bad tour in 1988.
Fogelson was candid about the creative possibilities a second film opens up. The Bad and Dangerous album eras, Jackson’s legendary Super Bowl halftime performance, and the full sweep of his global dominance as a solo artist are all on the table.
As Fogelson put it, there is “a massive amount of music and life experiences separate and apart from allegations that would fill more than a second movie on its own.”
Inevitably, any conversation about Michael Jackson’s later years leads to the sexual abuse allegations that shadowed the final chapter of his life. When pressed on whether the sequel would address them, Fogelson was honest.
“It’s a really complicated question,” he said, “and I’m not sure I think that I am the best person or now is the best time.”
The sequel’s path forward isn’t without its complications. Director Antoine Fuqua is set to head into production on a Netflix project with Denzel Washington soon, while producer Graham King has several other commitments on his plate.
Filming is currently being targeted for 2027, giving the creative team the runway to get things right rather than rushing a follow-up to capitalize on the moment.
