The Oscar nominee will play patriarch Joe Jackson in Antoine Fuqua’s upcoming film.

Michael Jackson Biopic Will "Be the Biggest Movie We've Ever Had," Exec Says

Colman Domingo weighed in on the controversy surrounding Antoine Fuqua’s upcoming Michael Jackson biopic.

The Oscar nominee, set to play patriarch Joe Jackson in the film, said Michael will “tell the story of a very complicated person” when asked about the criticisms of bringing the contentious King of Pop story to screen.

“Michael Jackson is undeniably one of the most prolific artists that has ever been on this planet,” Domingo told Entertainment Tonight on the BET Awards red carpet over the weekend. “He’s a complicated human being and I think what the film will do is tell the story of a very complicated person.”
“Everyone has a story,” Colman said, adding that the film will “shine a different light on Michael Jackson.”
Colman Domingo poses in the IMDb Portrait Studio at the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards on February 25, 2024 in Santa Monica, California.

Colman Domingo. Emma McIntyre/Getty

The actor also sang the praises of Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, who will play the King of Pop in the picture. “When people watch Jaafar Jackson and what he does, they’re gonna be blown away,” Domingo said. “There’s a spiritual connection he has with his uncle. It’s beautiful.”

“I think it’s gonna surprise people, what we do with this film,” Domingo added.
The biopic will chronicle Jackson’s early days as a member of the Jackson 5 through his success as a solo artist. It’s been billed as a “riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant yet complicated man,” but concerns abound that it will gloss over the child sexual abuse and grooming allegations that have plagued Jackson, who died in 2009 from cardiac arrest.

Dan Reed, who directed the 2019 docuseries Finding Neverland featuring two men who accused Jackson of sexual abuse, called the draft “startlingly disingenuous.” Graham King, a producer on the upcoming biopic made with Jackson estate co-executors, however, has assured that the film “will get into all of it” and “not sanitize” the pop star’s complicated legacy.

The late Jackson has long denied the allegations against him, including during his highly-publicized 2005 child molestation trial in which he was acquitted. The Jackson estate has also denied the allegations.