In what month and year was development of the 2026 film Michael first reported?

Development of the 2026 film Michael was first reported in November 2019.

The initial report said that producer Graham King had secured the rights to produce a film about Michael Jackson. John Logan was attached as screenwriter, and the Michael Jackson estate was involved with the project. This early rights and development stage came several years before filming and the eventual 2026 release.

The project was formally announced at Lionsgate in February 2022, which is why that later date can sometimes be mistaken for the beginning of development. In January 2023, Antoine Fuqua was announced as director, and Jaafar Jackson was announced as the lead actor later that month.

The long development period reflects the scale of turning Jackson’s life and music into a major theatrical production. The film ultimately covered his career from the Jackson 5 in the 1960s through the Bad tour in the late 1980s.