New ‘Michael’ Trailer Shows Michael Jackson’s Journey From The Jackson 5 to Solo Artist

The first full trailer for “Michael” arrived on Monday morning, giving fans a better look at how Jaafar Jackson will be playing his uncle, Michael Jackson, in the upcoming biopic.

To kick things off, we see and hear a grown Jackson hyping himself up, both in the studio and ahead of a show, reassuring himself that he is confident, strong and “the greatest of all time.” But from there, the trailer cuts to Michael’s childhood, forming The Jackson 5 with his siblings.

It’s here that we get a first look at Colman Domingo’s portrayal of Joe Jackson, the family patriarch who was known to have abused his children. You can watch the trailer below:

Though Joe encourages his sons to become more successful than he ever was, it quickly becomes clear how controlling he was of his son Michael, even telling him in the footage, “I told you what to think.”

Michael clearly struggles with the idea of making his own music and leaving his family, but of course, we all know how that turns out. According to the film’s synopsis, “Michael” will depict key offstage chapters along with some of Jackson’s early iconic performances, presenting what the filmmakers describe as a front-row view of his artistic evolution.

Antoine Fuqua directs from a screenplay by John Logan. In addition to Jaafar Jackson and Colman Domingo, the film stars Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Juliano Krue Valdi and Miles Teller.

Back in September, the film faced some criticism from Michael Jackson’s kids, after Domingo said Paris and Prince Jackson are “very much in support of our film,” in an interview with People magazine. Paris quickly pushed back on Instagram, writing in her stories, “Don’t be telling people I was ‘helpful’ on the set of a movie I had 0% involvement in lol that is so weird.”

“I read one of the first drafts of the script and gave my notes about what was dishonest / didn’t sit right with me, and when they didn’t address it, I moved on with my life,” she added. “Not my monkeys, not my circus. God bless and God speed.”

“Michael” hits theaters on April 24.

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