Jaafar Jackson promises 'Michael 2' digs deeper into Michael Jackson's story

In a new interview with GQ Middle East, Jaafar Jackson said the sequel to Michael will wade into the most contentious stretch of his uncle’s life — the 1990s — including the child sexual abuse allegations that defined so much of the conversation around Michael Jackson. The first movie ends with the 1987 release of Bad, years before the first public accusations surfaced in 1993.

“It ’s someone else’s story...It’s someone else’s idea of what it is, and it’s mainly driven by an agenda. And that’s really the issue we’ve been having as a family – not having Michael’s voice being heard. I think that’s very, very important, especially in the late years.”

Jackson added that he doesn’t have much control over what ultimately lands in the screenplay, but believes the follow-up is a chance to dig deeper into those later chapters. Rather than tracing the climb to superstardom, the sequel — informally referred to as “Michael 2” — is being framed to tackle the period when fame collided with controversy, courtrooms and relentless scrutiny, while still trying to preserve the person behind the headlines.

Breakout year

The first film ’s success has raised the stakes. Michael has crossed $1 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing biopic of all time, and it vaulted Jaafar Jackson from relative anonymity to one of the year’s breakout performers.

He says that performance grew out of an unusually intensive prep process:

• Studying archival footage to nail the voice, movement and stagecraft
• Working with people who knew and collaborated with Michael Jackson
• Approaching his uncle “like a stranger,” studying him instead of relying on family familiarity

The transformation has also reshaped what he’s chasing next. Jackson says he’s drawn to roles that demand that same level of immersion, citing inspirations like:

• Daniel Day-Lewis
• Leonardo DiCaprio
• Joaquin Phoenix