Starz will be the first streaming service stop for Michael, the biopic about Michael Jackson’s early life and career. The late music legend is played by his nephew, Jaafar Jackson, who spent years studying his uncle’s mannerisms, choreography and vocals. The film has made history as the highest-grossing biopic, raking in $1 billion worldwide.
Michael features songs from the Jackson 5, The Jacksons and Michael Jackson’s solo career, with some scenes that blend Jaafar Jackson’s live, recorded vocals with Michael’s. A young Michael is played by Juliano Valdi, and his parents, Joe and Katherine, are played by Colman Domingo and Nia Long. Audiences can follow the Jackson siblings (with the exception of Janet) from their start as singers in Gary, Indiana, to the family’s move to the Hayvenhurst estate in Encino, California. The King of Pop’s famous Thriller video, moonwalk debut and Pepsi commercial accident are also chronicled in the film. Yes, his beloved chimp Bubbles is portrayed in the movie, too.
The cast also features Larenz Tate as Berry Gordy, Kendrick Sampson as Quincy Jones and KeiLyn Durrel Jones as Michael Jackson’s trusted bodyguard, Bill Bray.
Release date for ‘Michael’ on Starz
You can stream Michael on Starz on Monday, Aug. 10, on its streaming platforms and linear channel. If you have the Starz cable channel, the movie will premiere at 7 p.m. ET/PT on this date.
