Michael Jackson biopic faces major rewrite after unpredicted legal agreement

Michael’s getting changed.

The highly anticipated Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, produced in collaboration with the late singer's family, is reportedly facing a significant setback due to unforeseen legal issues. 

According to a January 23 report by Puck, the production team is scrambling to rewrite parts of the script and reshoot scenes after discovering a clause in a past legal settlement that poses a major obstacle.

The complications stem from a settlement Jackson reached in 1993 with the family of Jordan Chandler, who accused him of sexual abuse at the time. 

The agreement, reportedly worth $25 million, included a clause prohibiting the Chandlers from being mentioned or portrayed in any dramatized depiction of Jackson’s life. 

This legally binding restriction was reportedly overlooked during the script's initial vetting and approval process.

Sources cited by Puck, via PEOPLE, claim the Chandler case played a significant role in the film’s narrative, with the script penned by John Logan. 

The oversight has now created what the publication described as a “nightmare scenario” for producers, forcing them to rework the project.

Despite these reports, a source close to the production told PEOPLE on January 24, “The Michael Jackson biopic is not in total chaos. The inflammatory headlines about the movie halting are simply not true. The film is moving forward, and reshoots are happening in March.”

The biopic, backed by producer Graham King’s GK Films—the same company behind the 2018 Oscar-winning Bohemian Rhapsody—completed its initial filming in May 2024. 

While Michael was originally set for an April 18, 2025, release, the date was postponed by six months in November and is now slated to hit theaters on October 3, 2025.

The Jackson estate, which is involved in the film’s production, has consistently denied all allegations of abuse against the singer. Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges in 2005, though the accusations resurfaced in the controversial 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, which sparked ongoing legal disputes.

Michael features Jackson’s real-life nephew, Jaafar Jackson, is portraying the pop icon in the lead role.