The first official look at Michael Jackson’s nephew playing the King of Pop in the biopic of the chart-topper has been published, and the resemblance is startling.
Jackson’s brother Jermaine’s son Jaafar Jackson, in his cinematic debut, plays the Thriller singer as an adult in the film, now titled Michael.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, 27-year-old Jaafar startled followers by recreating a scene from his uncle’s Dangerous Tour, which took place between 1992 and 1993.
His clothing is an exact duplicate of Jackson’s ‘Man in the Mirror’ appearance, with a white V-neck T-shirt and a billowing white shirt over it, black slacks, and his hair worn longer and knotted up at the base of his head.
‘I thought this was actually him,’ wrote fan Mary Cappiello in the comment section, while Jeffrey Williamson exclaimed: ‘So this ain’t Mike? Get TF outta here. 🙌🙌🙌’
‘The fact that he looks exactly like Michael is insane,’ shared Andrew Dustin Vargas, while Edward Sanchez agreed, adding: Wow he looks just like his uncle.’
‘Yo I actually thought that was MJ for a sec. This is gonna be so good,’ another fan enthused, while Luis Perez praised Jaafar’s look as ‘dead on’.
Other excited fans labelled the film’s first look as ‘mesmerising’ and ‘phenomenal’ while there were also already some hailing it ‘a masterpiece’ and predicting that Jaafar would ‘undoubtedly [be an] Oscar nominee’.
‘When I first heard about this I thought was going to be another terrible Lifetime type of film but they’re really going for it and getting it right,’ admired Jason Honeycutt.
‘I’m so glad someone from his own family is going to play him,’ added another fan, Tonica.
Poignantly, Jaafar was photographed by the same photographer, Kevin Mazur, who captured Jackson throughout his career, including the final rehearsal for his This Is It concert engagement, which was cancelled following the star’s shocking death at the age of 50 in June 2009.
‘With Jaafar, every look, every note, every dance move is Michael. He embodies Michael in a way that no other actor could,’ producer Graham King – who was also behind Queen and Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody – said in a statement.
According to its marketing material, Michael promises fans a ‘riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant man who became the King of Pop’.
‘The film presents his triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale – from his human side and personal struggles to his undeniable creative genius, exemplified by his most iconic performances,’ it adds.
Shooting began in late January, with a scheduled release date of April 2025.
Oscar candidate Colman Domingo stars as Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson, while Nia Long plays his mother, Katherine Jackson, and Miles Teller plays lawyer John Branca.
Antoine Fuqua, director of The Equaliser, has cast Juliano Krue Valdi as the young Michael in the film.
Michael is set to be released in US cinemas on April 18, 2025, with a UK date yet to be announced.
