A couple of weeks ago, word arrived that Antoine Fuqua would direct a biopic of controversial music megastar Michael Jackson. Speculation naturally turned to who might play Jackson, and now we have an answer: the singer's 26-year-old nephew, Jaafar Jackson.
Jackson, who is the son of Michael's brother Jermaine, has established a social media presence as a talented singer and dancer, but this role would seem to be fraught with controversy. And if the team behind the film sought to defuse that in any way, casting one of Jackson's extended family would not seem to be the best option.
Still, the passion project of producer Graham King and writer John Logan aims to chart Jackson's rise to fame, his troubled family life, his musical career, but not ignoring his chaotic personal life, plastic surgery and the pedophile accusations that dogged his later years up to his death in 2009 at age 50, from cardiac arrest caused by a cocktail of sedatives.
The film, simply titled Michael at this point, is likely to be filming later this year.
