The sequel to this year's billion-dollar biopic Michael will confront the child sexual abuse allegations that trailed Michael Jackson through the late stretch of his life, and it will tell that story from the singer's own perspective, according to the film's star.

Jaafar Jackson, Jackson's nephew, who played his uncle in the first film and is set to reprise the role, laid out the sequel's approach in a new interview with GQ. Asked how Michael 2 would deal with the allegations, he said, "I think the second film will give even more insight from his point of view, because at the end of the day, [the allegations] are always from someone else's." He added, "It's someone else's story. It's someone else's idea of what it is, and it's mainly driven by an agenda."

For Jaafar, the sequel is a chance to correct what he sees as a one-sided public record. "That's really the issue we've been having as a family, not having Michael's voice being heard," he said. "I think that's very, very important, especially in the late years." He also described the version of his uncle he wants audiences to sit with, one who "never stopped treating people with kindness" and "never stopped believing in the good in people."

The first film, directed by Antoine Fuqua from a screenplay by John Logan, arrived in theaters on April 24 and became a phenomenon, grossing more than $1.01b worldwide against a reported $155m budget. That haul made it the highest-grossing musician biopic ever, surpassing 2018's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and becoming the first music biopic to cross $1b.

Fuqua is returning to direct the follow-up for Lionsgate, which is aiming to begin production later in 2026, with a release anticipated in late 2027 or early 2028. The sequel is expected to fold in unused sequences from the first film, and it is again being made with the full participation of Jackson's estate.

That estate involvement is also the source of the skepticism now facing the project. Critics have questioned whether a production controlled by Jackson's estate, and starring a member of his family, can offer an honest reckoning with the accusations rather than a sanctioned defense. Jackson denied the allegations throughout his life. The 1993 case was settled out of court, and in 2005 he was acquitted on all counts in a separate criminal trial.

Scrutiny returned in 2019 with the documentary Leaving Neverland, which centered on two men who said Jackson abused them as children, claims his estate has continued to dispute.