“Michael,” the smash hit biopic, makes it clear that moviegoers haven’t seen the final of Michael Jackson, with the movie ending with the phrases, “His Story Continues.” And Lionsgate, the studio behind the movie, advised buyers and analysts on a quarterly earnings name on Thursday that it’s onerous at work on a sequel.
“We are really excited about the progress we’re making with respect to a second ‘Michael’ film,” Adam Fogelson, the corporate’s movie chief, stated. “All the conversations that we’ve been having with all of the appropriate parties continue to go exceptionally well.”
The primary “Michael” wraps up with the King of Pop in the course of 1987’s “Bad” tour. That leaves a number of many years of fabric — from successes equivalent to “Dangerous” to controversies just like the a number of allegations of kid sexual abuse that dogged Jackson for the remainder of his life.
“I would say that there is a ton of incredibly entertaining Michael Jackson story, and much of the biggest and most popular parts of his music catalog that were not touched upon in the first film,” Fogelson added. “There are so many other events that happened, even in the time frame of the original movie that weren’t touched upon, so we’re very, very confident that we’ve got an incredibly entertaining movie that will appeal once again to a global audience as the pieces come together.”
He additionally famous that issues may not be chronological. “We can go forwards and backwards in telling this story,” Fogelson teased.
“Michael” could also be an enormous field workplace hit, however its manufacturing was chaotic. The movie was imagined to discover the influence of the molestation allegations on Jackson’s life, with a lot of its third act dedicated to the scandal. However these plans had to be scrapped, together with any point out of the accusations, after attorneys for the Jackson property, which served as a producer, realized there was a clause in a settlement with one of many singer’s accusers, Jordan Chandler, that barred the depiction or point out of him in any film. It’s unclear how any follow-up movie would take care of that interval of Jackson’s life with out operating afoul of the phrases of that settlement.
Nevertheless, Fogelson stated that among the materials that was lower might be utilized in a sequel, which might probably decrease prices on the movie.
“We think we’ve got 25 to 30% of a second movie already shot from the prior production activity, and so obviously that will have some [financial] benefit ultimately, but we’re going to make sure we make a big and satisfying movie for a global audience once again,” Fogelson stated.
“Michael” carried a manufacturing funds of greater than $155 million. It has grossed greater than $700 million on the field workplace, making it one of many greatest hits of 2026.
