Colman Domingo -- who will play Michael Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, in the upcoming biopic -- is weighing in on criticism.
Colman Domingo says the Michael Jackson biopic is going to transcend a simple narrative structure.
On Sunday, the Oscar nominee, 54, spoke with ET's Deidre Behar from the 2024 BET Awards, where he shut down criticisms of Michael. The film -- which stars Michael's own nephew, Jaafar Jackson, as the "Bad" singer and Domingo as Jackson family patriarch Joe Jackson -- releases in 2025.
"Michael Jackson is undeniably one of the most prolific artists that has ever been on this planet," Domingo shared. "He's a complicated human being and I think what the film will do is tell the story of a very complicated person."
Among the main talking points argued by critics of the biographical film is Michael's history with sexual abuse allegations. While the singer's lawyers and his estate have denied wrongdoing both before his June 2009 death and after, detractors -- including the director of a documentary examining the allegations -- have called the film "disingenuous" and said that the script "wants very much to convince you Michael is innocent," Variety reports.
Studio execs have repeatedly denied the film will cleanse Michael's true story, sharing via press releases that the movie intends to be a "riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant yet complicated man. It will follow a "undeniable creative genius," as well as his "human side and personal struggles."
As far as Domingo is concerned, he says he's focused on the art and bringing the best project to the fans -- even if that means sharing a nuanced story on a familiar figure.
"I think it will be [a complicated film] and also entertaining," the Sing Sing actor told ET, adding that their goal is to "shine a different light on Michael Jackson."
Last month, several photos emerged online showing Jaafar, 27, in the iconic "Thriller" outfit and looking startlingly like his paternal uncle (Jaafar's father is The Jackson 5's Jermaine Jackson), busting a move while recreating the music video for one of Michael's biggest songs.
Domingo tells ET that the one thing he is most excited about is Jaafar's portrayal of the King of Pop finally being on display for the world to see. He says that whatever fans are expecting, he is confident they will not walk away disappointed.
"When people watch Jaafar Jackson and what he does, they're gonna be blown away," Domingo shared. "There's sort of this spiritual connection that he has with his late uncle -- it's beautiful."
He continued, "Honestly, I think it's gonna surprise people what we're gonna do with this film. It's gonna be epic."
Fans first got a look at Jaafar as Michael back in February when director Antoine Fuqua posted a photo to Instagram of the young actor seriously channeling his late relative.
"Your first look at #MichaelMovie. Starring Jaafar Jackson – in theaters April 2025," Fuqua captioned the pic. "Photograph by the renowned photographer Kevin Mazur, who documented Michael’s final rehearsal, and is now the first to photograph Jaafar in character as Michael."
Since then, photos and videos from set have come sparingly. One thing that has not been in short supply, however, is casting announcements.
ET has confirmed that Nia Long will play Katherine Jackson, Michael's mother, while Miles Teller will play Michael's manager, John Branca, and Laura Harrier will portray Suzanne de Passe, a longtime friend and confidant of the "Smooth Criminal" singer.
Michael is scheduled to be released on April 18, 2025.
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