Lionsgate Teases a Bigger Future for MICHAEL Sequel With More Iconic Music and Untold Stories
Fans who walked out of Michael wondering if the story was only getting started were absolutely right. The hit biopic closed with the words “His Story Continues,” and now Lionsgate has officially confirmed that a sequel is moving full speed ahead.
During the studio’s quarterly earnings call on Thursday, Lionsgate film chief Adam Fogelson shared an update on the next chapter of the Michael Jackson movie franchise, and it sounds like the studio has massive plans for where the story goes next.
“We are really excited about the progress we’re making with respect to a second ‘Michael’ film,” Fogelson said. “All the conversations that we’ve been having with all of the appropriate parties continue to go exceptionally well.”
The first film ended during Jackson’s 1987 Bad tour, which means the sequel has a huge era of the singer’s life still left to explore. That includes albums like Dangerous, major career highs, worldwide fame on another level, and the controversies that followed him throughout the later years of his life.
Fogelson made it clear Lionsgate believes there’s still a ton of material audiences want to see. “I would say that there is a ton of incredibly entertaining Michael Jackson story, and much of the biggest and most popular parts of his music catalog that were not touched upon in the first film.
“There are so many other events that happened, even in the time frame of the original movie that weren’t touched upon, so we’re very, very confident that we’ve got an incredibly entertaining movie that will appeal once again to a global audience as the pieces come together.”
That’s probably the biggest takeaway here. The sequel apparently won’t just feel like leftover material from the first movie. Lionsgate sees this as another major event film with some of Jackson’s most recognizable music still waiting in the wings.
Fogelson also hinted that the storytelling structure could jump around instead of moving in a straight line through Jackson’s life. “We can go forwards and backwards in telling this story.”
That approach could help the filmmakers tackle different points in Jackson’s career without being locked into a strict timeline, especially considering the complicated production history attached to the first movie.
Even though Michael became one of the biggest box office hits of 2026 with more than $700 million worldwide, the production reportedly hit several major roadblocks during development.
Early versions of the film were expected to include material involving the child molestation allegations against Jackson, with much of the original third act centered on that period of his life.
Those plans reportedly changed after attorneys for the Jackson estate discovered a clause tied to a settlement agreement involving Jordan Chandler that prohibited any depiction or mention of him in a film project. Since the estate also served as a producer on the movie, the filmmakers had to rework major sections of the story.
What makes this even more interesting is that some of the footage removed from the first movie may now find a place in the sequel.
“We think we’ve got 25 to 30% of a second movie already shot from the prior production activity, and so obviously that will have some [financial] benefit ultimately, but we’re going to make sure we make a big and satisfying movie for a global audience once again,” Fogelson said.
Considering the first film carried a production budget north of $155 million, having a chunk of the sequel already completed could definitely help streamline the process.
For now, Lionsgate sounds extremely confident that audiences are ready for another round with the King of Pop. And if the sequel really dives into the Dangerous era and beyond, there’s no shortage of huge musical moments left to bring to the big screen.
Source: Variety