Jaafar Jackson has opened up on Michael 2.
He said the sequel will explore the child abuse allegations levelled against the pop star from a different perspective.
The sequel kicks off production later this year.
Michael, the authorised biographical film of pop icon Michael Jackson, became the biggest biopic of all time at the box office. With a sequel underway, Michael star (and MJ’s nephew) Jaafar Jackson has stated it will delve into the cavalcade of child abuse allegations that sullied the icon's image.
“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 (point of view),” Jaafar shared with GQ Middle East on Thursday. “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.”
Jaafar Jackson Teases Michael 2
“This first film focuses on Michael from his roots. So you get that idea of who he was before he had all the success and became the icon that people are familiar with, you understand who he was as a human being first, because at the end of the day, that’s who he was in the ’90s until he passed,” Jaafar said.
“He never changed that purity, that sense of always wanting to find the good in other people. And no matter all the stuff he went through, how he was treated, what things were said about him, he never stopped treating people with kindness. He never stopped believing in and wanting to look for the good in people… even though he was broken, his heart still stayed the same… I hope that this is felt in the second movie.”
Jaafar also sought to dismiss speculation that Janet Jackson, whose music career is almost as highly regarded as her brother’s, felt bitter towards the film and its portrayal of Michael. Her absence in the film has made critics wonder that she actively did not want to participate.
“I don’t want to speak too early, but Janet has ideas of maybe doing her own film,” Jaafar explained, insisting that she may not have wanted an actress to be selected to play her when she had not yet selected who she wanted to portray her in her own film.
The sequel reportedly begins filming later this year.
