Lionsgate Confirms It May Split Michael Jackson Biopic Into Two Movies As Release Is Pushed – Update

UPDATE with more news on Michael: Lionsgate film chief Adam Fogelson confirmed the company is exploring splitting its Michael Jackson biopic into two films.

“At the end, when you look at the music library, when you look at what Michael Jackson was able to deliver in terms music and contributions to art, whether or not that can be fit into one movie comfortably or not is a question that we are absolutely asking,” he said on a call after quarterly earnings. “We’ll be ready to answer more specifically in the coming weeks.”

He was responding to a question on why the film has been delayed by an analyst who noted the three and half hour cut referenced by CEO Jon Felthimer in opening remarks.

“Any number of the biggest motion pictures over the last ten or 20 years have had first cuts of movies that were well in excess three and a half hours,” Fogelson said. “And when Jon mentioned the footage, it wasn’t a cut, it was an accumulation of scenes that we’ve seen.”

PREVIOUSLY: Lionsgate Studios is moving the release of anticipated biopic Michael from this fall into its fiscal 2027 but didn’t give a new release date. That means it’s at a year or more away. The company’s fiscal year 2026 just started in April.

“In regard to our Michael Jackson biopic, we’re excited about the 3½ hours of amazing footage from producer Graham King and director Antoine Fuqua, and we will be announcing a definitive release strategy and timing in the next few weeks. I would note that it is likely we will move Michael out of the fiscal year which will impact fiscal ’26 financial results but will bolster an already strong fiscal 27 slate,” said CEO Jon Felthimer on a conference call with financial analysts after quarterly earnings.

They were the company’s first as a standalone after splitting with Starz earlier this month.

Michael was first set for April and most recently for Oct. 3, although it didn’t seem likely it would make that date. Deadline reported out of CinemaCon last month that given the length of the cut the film could be split into two movies, although there was nothing definitive.

Lionsgate didn’t show footage for Michael at the event. The film which stars Jackson’s nephew and Jermaine Jackson’s son Jaafar Jackson in the title role. Colman Domingo plays Joe Jackson and Nia Long is Katherine Jackson.

MORE