Film director Antoine Fuqua quoted by Variety, he admitted that he felt a spiritual bond with Jaafar Jackson at the first meeting. He pointed out that he not only has a natural ability to imitate his famous uncle, but also has a great feel for the camera.
In the film we will also see Jackson from the time of his performances alongside his brothers in the band Jackson 5. The young artist will be played by a 9-year-old Juliano Krule Valdi.
“The opportunity (to appear in this film) is extremely important to me because Michael Jackson is the King of Pop and holds a special place in my heart,” said 9-year-old Valdi. “I have been dancing to his songs for five years. He makes me feel special. I love Michael Jackson’s energy,” added the young actor, whose Instagram account has 150,000 followers.
The boy mainly puts dance performances and costumes inspired by Jackson’s character.
“When Michael was very young, as an 11-year-old, he amazed the world with his adult spirit and talent. He was, in fact, incredibly mature. Juliano is the same,” said producer Graham King. “Beyond being a phenomenal young talent, Juliano is deeply inspired by Michael and his music. He is also able to translate this inspiration into performances that showcase the true magic of young Michael Jackson,” added the film’s producer.
The author of the script “Michaela” Is John Loganwho has had such hits as “Skyfall”, “Spectre”, “The last Samurai” Whether “Gladiator”. The film is being produced at the Lionsgate studio in cooperation with John Branca and John McClain, who are the executors of Jackson’s will.
Antoine Fuqua wants to bring to the screen the breakthrough moments of Michael Jackson’s career – from the days when he sang in The Jackson 5 as a child, to his huge solo successes and the title of the king of pop. But it will also deal with the artist’s accusations of pedophilia, which appeared in the later years of his career and continued until his death in 2009.
Michael Jackson died at the age of 50 from cardiac arrest caused by an overdose of sedatives.
The filmmakers promise that “Michael” will not be a laurels and a film in tribute to Jackson. They want to show a complicated, musically outstanding character who had problems with a despotic father, with her own identity and was a victim of plastic surgery.
So far, documentaries about Jackson have been made, including: American director Spike Lee entitled “Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall”. The documentary tells the story of the artist’s journey from his childhood at home in Motown and the history of the band “Jackson 5” and his collaboration with producer Quincy Jones. To enrich the film, the director used interviews with Michael Jackson’s parents, his brother Marlon and singer and producer Pharrell Williams, and even basketball player Kobe Bryant.
In turn, in the HBO documentary “Leaving Neverland”which was awarded an Emmy, Michael Jackson is accused of molestation by his former fans who spent time at the Neverland Ranch as children.
“Leaving Neverland” tells the story of the experiences of two boys – ten-year-old James “Jimmy” Safechuck and seven-year-old Wade Robson, who were friends with Michael Jackson. Children and their parents, fascinated by the singer, who was then at the peak of his career, were invited to his fairy-tale world. Based on moving interviews with Safechuck, now 37, and Robson, 41, their mothers, wives and siblings, the documentary’s creators reconstruct the story of long-term abuse and analyze the complicated emotions that made both men decide to face their childhood traumas after the birth of their sons.