Sony buys stake in Michael Jackson’s catalogue in landmark deal

Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International have announced the eight actors set to portray members of the Jackson 5 — Jermaine, Marlon, Tito and Jackie — at various stages of their lives in the Michael Jackson biopic Michael.

Angelique Jackson The Jackson 5 have found their harmony once again for the upcoming biopic “Michael” from director Antoine Fuqua and Oscar winning producer Graham King. After a worldwide search led filmmakers to cast Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, as the King of Pop, with 9-year-old Juliano Krue Valdi as the younger Michael, fans have been eagerly waiting to see who would round out the rest of the Jackson family. The film, which is scheduled to hit theaters on April 18, 2025, is currently in production.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Comic book author Brian Michael Bendis has set a first-look deal with Amazon is already developing three TV series under the new pact based on his previous works: “Jinx,” “Murder Inc.” and “Pearl.” “Jinx” is a crime-ridden love story unfolding on a high stakes treasure hunt, per Amazon’s series description. Our players are: Jinx Alameda, a bounty hunter at the top of her game who’s tired of her grimy life; Goldfish, a charming con man and wanted felon who falls head over heels for Jinx; and Columbia, Goldfish’s loose-cannon partner, who has big criminal dreams.

EastEnders will be checking in with Bianca Jackson next week on the soap as long-time star Patsy Palmer returns for a brief stint.The star joined the soap as Bianca Jackson in 1993 before leaving in 1999, however she returned in 2008 for six years. Patsy, 51, came back for a brief period in 2019 before leaving EastEnders again in September that year. She will now be reprising her role as Bianca in episodes which will begin airing in March.

Well, we know who Britney Spears favors.

EXCLUSIVE: Sony has stepped up with a $1.5 million bid to uncap Cola Wars, a movie pitch that tells the true story of Pepsi’s attempt to challenge Coca-Cola’s century-long reign as the world’s top cola, sparking the unforgettable “Cola Wars” of the mid-1980s. This behind-the-scenes account, from Michael Jackson’s fiery mishap to the New Coke debacle, tells the ultimate underdog tale of history’s most iconic second-place contender vying for the No. 1 spot.

Michael Jackson, titled Michael, is set to be released in 2025, and the cast is coming together – read on to see who will star in the film.Michael has been confirmed to receive a theatrical release in the United States on April 18, 2025, per production house Lionsgate. A UK release date is yet to be announced.It will be directed by Antoine Fuqua, who is known for films including Training Day, The Equalizer and Brooklyn’s Finest.

Jaafar Jackson is hard at work at his highly-anticipated new Michael Jackson biopic!

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Sony Pictures Television vet Suzanne Prete, who has driven the studio’s game show division since its launch in 2022, has been upped to president. The exec will continue to report to Sony Pictures TV chairman Ravi Ahuja, who announced the news Thursday in a memo to staffers.

Michael Jackson fans have been left completely taken-aback by just how much his nephew Jaafar is the spitting image of him in the first look at a new film. Fans of the King of Pop are gearing up for the first biopic of the late star's incredible life, which is titled Michael. In the initial snapshot, which was released yesterday, 13 February, 27 year old Jaafar, who is the son of Michael's brother Jermaine Jackson, has undergone a full transformation to become his beloved uncle.

Michael Jackson fans worldwide.Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson is the reincarnation of his uncle in the first image released from Antoine Fuqua’s “Michael.” “With Jaafar, every look, every note, every dance move is Michael,” said Oscar-winning producer Graham King told Deadline. “He embodies Michael in a way that no other actor could.”The highly anticipated biopic centered on the “King of Pop” from Lionsgate and Universal will be released in theaters April 18, 2025.In the image, Jaafar wears an ensemble similar to one that Jackson wore during his performance at the 12th annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1995.

Michael Jackson’s nephew Jaafar portraying the late singer in the forthcoming biopic Michael has been shared.The pic, which you can view below, sees Jaafar performing as Jackson during his Dangerous Tour from 1992-93.“With Jaafar, every look, every note, every dance move is Michael,” said producer Graham King in a statement via Variety. “He embodies Michael in a way that no other actor could.”Jaafar and nine-year-old Juliano Krue Valdi will play an adult and child version of Michael respectively in the forthcoming biopic.Colman Domingo was also recently cast as Michael Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson.Domingo previously said of his casting: “It’s exciting to do it with Jaafar.

We have the incredible first look at Jaafar Jackson as his uncle, Michael Jackson, for the Michael Jackson biopic film!

As you might expect, there are a lot of people anticipating the release of Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic, simply titled “Michael.” Is it going to be a warts and all look into the life of one of the most famous pop stars to ever live? Or perhaps it’s going to be more like “Bohemian Rhapsody” (it shares the same producer) and present a more family-friendly look at his life? Continue reading ‘Michael’ First Look: Here’s Jaafar Jackson Playing The Iconic Michael Jackson In Antoine Fuqua’s Biopic at The Playlist.

Jordan Moreau The first look at the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic has been released, and it recreates one of the singer’s most iconic outfits. Michael Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, plays the King of Pop in “Michael,” which releases in theaters on April 18, 2025. The film is now in production.

Usher made it clear that he wanted to pay homage to iconic Black artists when he took the stage for the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show on Sunday (February 11), and we caught at least one reference to the late King of Pop – Michael Jackson.

Megan Fox Megan Fox left little to the imagination when she arrived at the Jam for Janie Grammy Awards viewing party in a barely there see-through chainmail dress with nude undergarments. The "Transformers" actress paired the look with facial jewelry, a fuzzy black coat and a red purse. She also debuted a new pink hairdo and had her new tattoo sleeve on full display.

according to Billboard.The deal would also be the biggest ever for the work of a single musician, the BBC reported.Jackson, who died in 2009, remains immensely popular on music streaming services like Spotify, where he averages 40 million monthly listeners.Just two of his countless hits, “Billie Jean” and “Beat It,” have each been played more than one billion times on Spotify alone, according to the BBC.The deal comes just as an upcoming biopic about Jackson’s life and career starring his nephew is set to hit the big screen next year.The deal also reportedly includes tracks by other artists that had been acquired by Jackson’s Mijac publishing group — including hit songs by Ray Charles, Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, the BBC reported.The Jackson deal is as big or bigger than the $1.2 billion deal sought by Queen, which includes royalties for streams and other uses like the Freddy Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” and theatrical productions, according to Billboard.Sony’s deal with Jackson’s estate does not include royalties from the Broadway play and other theatrical productions featuring his music, the outlet reported.Sony paid $100 million in 1991 to buy the first half of what became Sony/ATV— ATV being the catalog that Jackson purchased in 1985 that included the Beatles catalog, according to Billboard.

Having already performed on the Super Bowl stage as a special guest of the Black Eyed Peas in 2011, Usher is no stranger to the halftime show. But it is another former headliner whom the 45-year-old singer has taken particular inspiration from going into Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday night.That would be his longtime hero, Michael Jackson, who forever changed the halftime show — turning it into the biggest gig in music — when he put the “superstar” in the Super Bowl.“He absolutely revolutionized the experience like no other,” Usher told The Post.“He changed how people perceived the halftime show [because before Jackson] it was just kind of hiring, you know, local performers or whatever it might be … I really did respect that.”And Usher plans to honor Jackson’s historic moment when he follows in his legendary footsteps midway through Sunday’s showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.“It became a great inspiration behind some of the things that I chose to do with this show,” he said.Of course, Usher — who made his self-titled debut 30 years ago as a 15-year-old — has three decades of his own experience to draw from as well.But the man behind such chart-topping hits as “Nice & Slow,” “U Remind Me,” “Yeah!” and “Love in This Club” says that it won’t be all about him when he headlines the biggest stage of all.“This has been a moment that is a celebration — not just for myself but for 30 years of people who have supported me, supported my journey, supported my choice of conversation,” said Usher.

Usher opened up about the important lessons that he picked up from conversations with Michael Jackson.