Lionsgate Targets Late 2026 Filming Start for 'Michael 2'
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- Lionsgate plans to begin production on the "Michael" sequel in late 2026 or early 2027, with a hoped-for release by the end of 2027 or in the first half of 2028, per motion picture chief Adam Fogelson on Thursday's earnings call.
- The first film "Michael" grossed $1 billion globally this spring, giving the studio a clear commercial case for a follow-up it has not yet officially greenlit.
- Antoine Fuqua directed the original, which stars Michael Jackson's real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson and ends with the 1987 "Bad" tour — its final card reads "His Story Continues."
- A last-minute legal dispute forced the filmmakers to scrap plans to address child sexual abuse allegations in the first film after Jackson estate attorneys discovered a settlement clause barring depiction of one accuser.
- Fogelson said previously shot material, including "big musical sequences," is "almost sure to be incorporated" into the sequel, and that some other cut material could also be reused.
- Fogelson declined to give budget guidance for the follow-up, saying the studio is focused on delivering "the biggest, best sequel" at the right price.
Why it matters: Lionsgate's sequel push rides on the first film's $1 billion global gross, but Fogelson's refusal to commit on budget — combined with his note that some cut material could be repurposed — suggests the studio is balancing sequel ambition against the same legal sensitivities and untested biographical ground that shaped the original's sanitized final cut.
