Jaafar Jackson, nephew of the late star and son of Jermaine Jackson, leads as Michael, with Juliano Krue Valdi portraying him as a youth. Colman Domingo plays Joe Jackson; Nia Long is Katherine Jackson. Miles Teller, Laura Harrier and Mike Myers round out the principal cast. The film, written by John Logan, was developed with the blessing of many family members. Michael Jackson died in 2009 at age 50.
Critics have singled out Jaafar Jackson’s performance — some calling it “perfection” even as others label the movie a by-the-numbers biopic. Distributed by Lionsgate, Michael is in theaters now.