Jaafar Jackson Says 'Michael 2' Will Tell His Uncle's Side of Child Abuse Allegations

Jaafar Jackson has said the planned sequel to Michael, referred to as Michael 2, will approach the child sexual abuse allegations against his uncle Michael Jackson from the singer's perspective.

The actor said the follow-up is being developed to explore the latter part of Jackson's life and address what he described as the family's concern that the performer's own voice has been absent.

For context, the first Michael film followed Jackson's journey from his Jackson 5 beginnings to the height of his 1980s success, ending around the Bad world tour. The film became the first biopic to pass the $1 billion (£741 million) box-office mark, according to NME, and its closing message, 'His Story Continues', pointed towards a second instalment.

Jackson's later years were dominated by allegations of child sexual abuse, which he repeatedly denied before his death in 2009. His estate has also consistently rejected all claims of sexual abuse made against him.

Michael 2 and the Missing Perspective

Jaafar Jackson, who plays the adult Michael in the biopic, said the sequel would seek to present the period through his uncle's eyes.

'I think the second film will give even more insight from his point of view, because at the end of the day, [the allegations] are always from someone else's,' Jackson told in an interview.

'It's someone else's story. It's someone else's idea of what it is, and it's mainly driven by an agenda.'

He added that the Jackson family felt Michael Jackson's voice had not been adequately represented in accounts of his final years.

'And that's really the issue we've been having as a family, not having Michael's voice being heard,' he said. 'I think that's very, very important, especially in the late years.'

It is a striking position, and not one likely to settle the argument around a biopic already scrutinised for its approach to its subject. A film authorised by Jackson's estate was always going to face questions about whose version of events it would privilege. Now the sequel appears ready to confront that question directly.

The title Michael 2 has not been formally confirmed in the material available, though it is widely being used as shorthand for the planned second film. What is clearer is that the follow-up is expected to move into the period the first film largely avoided.

Michael 2 Faces a Difficult Chapter

In 1993, Evan Chandler, a Los Angeles dentist and screenwriter, accused Jackson of sexually abusing his 13-year-old son, Jordan Chandler. Jackson denied the allegation. The case ended in a financial settlement in 1994.

Years later, Wade Robson, a choreographer, filed a lawsuit against Jackson's estate in 2013. He alleged that Jackson sexually abused him between the ages of seven and 14. Former child actor James Safechuck later made separate allegations.

Robson and Safechuck both featured in the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland. Jackson's estate has repeatedly denied their claims, as well as all other sexual abuse allegations against the singer.

Those allegations were reportedly intended to feature in the first Michael screenplay. However, reshoots were undertaken after filmmakers discovered a clause in the Chandler settlement that prevented Jordan Chandler from being portrayed on screen, according to reporting on the production. The reported reshoots cost $15 million, or about £10.9 million.

That legal complication did more than alter a scene or two. It shifted the scope of the first film, leaving the story at Jackson's commercial peak rather than following him into the years when public attention became increasingly focused on court cases, accusations and his intensely guarded private life.

The sequel has the uncomfortable job of picking up that material. There is no easy way through it, frankly.

Lionsgate motion picture chief Adam Fogelson told in an interview that the studio hoped to begin production in late 2026 or early 2027. He said the company was targeting a release at the end of 2027 or during the first half of 2028.

Fogelson also said production had already completed several major musical sequences that were likely to be incorporated into the sequel. His comments suggest the studio is still working out how to shape the second chapter, including its scale and cost.

For Jaafar Jackson, the role has already placed him at the centre of a story that is part musical spectacle, part family legacy, and part unresolved public dispute. He has played one of the world's most famous entertainers on screen. Next, he may have to play the version of Michael Jackson his family believes audiences have not yet seen.