Michael | April 18, 2025 | Michael Jackson biopic | Lionsgate | Graham King and the Jackson estate produce

[Eric Burnett]

https://deadline.com/2019/11/michael-jackson-movie-bohemian-rhapsody-producer-john-logan-graham-king-1202792922/

 

Quote

EXCLUSIVE: Bohemian Rhapsody producer Graham King has secured from the Michael Jackson estate the rights to make a film of the complicated pop icon’s life with access to all of his music, sources say. King’s GK Films has retained three-time Oscar-nominated writer John Logan to pen the script. It is not set up at a studio at this point.

 

I’m told that the film isn’t intended to be a sanitized rendering of Jackson’s life. King and Logan worked together on the Martin Scorsese-directed The Aviator, another complex look at the life of a genius. In that film, Howard Hughes was in a race to innovate before his mental illness and germaphobic obsessions overtook him.

 

In this case, the complexity of Jackson’s life is well known and will not be ignored in a film that will span his entire life, which ended with his tragic death in June 2009 at age 50. He became a star as a child and a global icon as an adult, but his childhood was not an easy one, and in adulthood he had to defend himself and paid out settlements over allegations of sexual abuse of child companions who routinely stayed at his house for sleepovers.

 

Deadline hears the estate will not be involved in the development of the screenplay from Logan, Oscar-nominated for writing Aviator, Scorsese’s Hugo and Ridley Scott’s Best Picture winner Gladiator. He and King will shape the script before setting it at a studio. The pair’s other collaborations include Hugo and the animated Rango.

 

[TMP]

Bohemian Rhapsody is just gonna be the new fad that everyone in Hollywood tries to replicate. Can't wait for them to completely ignore the pedophilia allegations!

Edited November 22, 2019 by TMP

[CoolioD1]

now THIS one bryan singer is perfect for.

[Jonwo]

Funny how Graham King is now the go to guy for musical biopic. Studio wise, it'll probably end up at Sony as they own his music. 

 

I am surprised the Michael Jackson estate is allowing it, there's elements of his life that you'd think the family wouldn't want portrayed. 

[TestPattern]

14 minutes ago, TMP said:

Bohemian Rhapsody is just gonna be the new fad that everyone in Hollywood tries to replicate. Can't wait for them to completely ignore the pedophilia allegations!

That would be impossible to ignore

 

[TestPattern]

What's gonna be the most difficult thing is the casting. More difficult that most biopic casting.

[Ryan Reynolds]

After Joker, i knew we would get more villain origin stories

[Barnack]

22 minutes ago, Jonwo said:

Funny how Graham King is now the go to guy for musical biopic. Studio wise, it'll probably end up at Sony as they own his music. 

 

I am surprised the Michael Jackson estate is allowing it, there's elements of his life that you'd think the family wouldn't want portrayed. 

Outside the giant money they ought to make, that a way for them to have control on it, in exchange of the music we have some say on the script.

 

Michael Jackson estate cannot block them to make the movie they want, they can only block them using songs they own in a certain ways in it, could have the logic of may as well have some control.

[John Marston]

Can see the second half being a courtroom drama. Michael’s acquittal will be the climax of the movie 

[LOGAN'sLuckyRun]

Here's a never before seen pic of the actor playing Michael in his later years:

Spoiler

 

[JGAR4LIFE]

$1B WW

[Giesi]

I really enjoyed the Motown to Off The Wall documentary, as well as BAD 25. I‘m not sure if I should be excited or not...

[MrGamer]

[Napoleon]

Hopefully with the estate's blessing this movie will do Michael justice. People need to understand the fact that his relationship with those kids sound creepy doesn't mean he sexually assaulted them. Michael was a special person that was taken advantage of by evil people. He will always be the greatest artist of all time, and I hope this movie clears his name once and for all. 

[filmlover]

I'm here for the ridiculously overly sanitized potential disaster.

[NamakFiskKa]

This MJ biopic thread not the R Kelly one please

[EarlyDeadlinePredictions]

Are they casting a black lead or white lead? Maybe both for half the movie each?

[Macleod]

The title absolutely must be:

 

MAN IN THE MIRROR.

 

"OH YEAH."

[dudalb]

On ‎11‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 10:14 AM, TMP said:

Bohemian Rhapsody is just gonna be the new fad that everyone in Hollywood tries to replicate. Can't wait for them to completely ignore the pedophilia allegations!

Yeah,no way that the Jackson estate will give the filmmakers a free hand. 

And the pedophilia accusations are just part of Jackson's dark side.

[dudalb]

On ‎11‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 8:38 PM, filmlover said:

I'm here for the ridiculously overly sanitized potential disaster.

Yeah, this,

I think Scorsese was right in walking away from his Sinatra biopic rather then allow the Sinatra estate to sanitize it beyond recoginition.