Michael Jackson Film in the Works at Lionsgate

Michael Jackson is the subject of an upcoming biopic helmed by Lionsgate and director Antoine Fuqua.

The film, titled Michael, will take on the musician’s life and career and will be produced by Graham King (Bohemian Rhapsody) and John Branca and John McClain, who are the co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate, according to The Hollywood Reporter. There is no information yet surrounding casting and release date.

“The first films of my career were music videos, and I still feel that combining film and music are a deep part of who I am,” Fuqua shared in a statement, per THR. “For me, there is no artist with the power, the charisma, and the sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson. I was influenced to make music videos by watching his work – the first Black artist to play in heavy rotation on MTV. His music and those images are part of my worldview, and the chance to tell his story on the screen alongside his music was irresistible.”

In a career that spanned throughout almost his entire life, the King of Pop had 13 No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. He first saw success as part of the family band the Jackson 5, and four of their songs topped the Hot 100.

As a solo artist, Jackson’s 1982 album Thriller became one of the best-selling albums of all time and spent an impressive 37 weeks atop the Billboard 200. Additionally, its seven singles all reached the top 10 of the Hot 100.

Jackson died on June 25, 2009 at age 50.