Michael Trailer: Jaafar Jackson Moonwalks Into the 90s as the King of Pop
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The first few seconds of the Michael Jackson biopic trailer might seem confusing to some viewers, as if you’re watching a documentary’s teaser with re-mastered footage. That’s how strong the resemblance is between the iconic singer and Jaafar Jackson, who is playing Micheal in the upcoming movie. The same surname isn’t a co-incidence, Jaafar is Michael’s nephew, the son of his older brother Jermaine Jackson. So he gets to moonwalk in his uncles shoes for the movie.
Created by director Antoine Fuqua and writer John Logan, ‘Michael‘ revisits the life and times of the King of Pop, who began his musical journey at the age of five, performing with his brothers before rising to become a global solo sensation. Miles Teller (‘Whiplash’, ‘Spiderhead’) plays John Branca, Jackson’s longtime career manager, who worked with the star for nearly three decades.
At just 13, Michael launched his solo career with the albums Got to Be There and Ben. His disco-pop record Off the Wall became his major breakthrough at 21. By his early 20s, he was already a global pop phenomenon, with fans swooning and fainting over him around the world.
The official trailer for ‘Michael’ is packed with iconic Michael Jackson moments, be it the trailblazing moonwalk dance, or the immortal 1983 hit ‘Thriller’, a song that remains a Halloween essential in America.
Remember the viral Jenna Ortega dance from Netflix’s hit show Wednesday (2023)? Michael Jackson’s Thriller is believed to be one of the inspirations. In-fact, the ‘Thriller’ album continues to hold the record for the bestselling music album of all time (70 million copies sold). Of course not as many people buy records since the 2000s, but Adele did sell over 30 million copies of ’21’ on 2011.
Of-course, in close-up shots, the differences between Jaafar and Michael Jackson’s are evident, but he nails the smooth, soft-spoken tone of the singer with pitch-perfection in the trailer. What makes the casting even more intriguing, beyond the family connection, is that this marks Jaafar’s acting debut. With no past performances to compare him to, there’s a touch of genuine curiosity over how he’ll carry the role.
Fans who grew up in the MTV era ( you know – when ‘video killed the radio star’) will know MJ was among the first few pioneering video stars. His music videos were elaborate, like mini movies, and were viral sensations even before the term became popular.
It will be interesting to see how ‘Michael’ the movie covers his life, and from the trailer, it looks pretty thrilling.
Watch the trailer on YouTube, it’s also below.
