A movie about the life and career of Michael Jackson is in the works from Graham King and his GK Films.
For the film, King will work with the Michael Jackson estate, which granted the producer the rights to the late singer’s music.
John Logan, the Oscar-nominated writer behind The Aviator, Hugo and the James Bond movies Skyfall and Spectre, will pen the screenplay. A studio is not yet attached to the project.
The film will cover Jackson’s entire life and career, including his beginnings with The Jackson Five, his rise to pop superstardom and, later in life, his legal struggles with both civil and criminal lawsuits stemming from allegations of child sex abuse. Jackson died in 2009 at the age of 50.
King recently worked on 20th Century Fox’s Freddie Mercury musical biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, which earned over $900 million at the global box office and five Oscar nominations, including one for best picture. GK Films is also developing a Bee Gees movie for Paramount.
The news of the Jackson biopic comes as the performer’s estate is embroiled in a lawsuit with HBO parent company Time Warner over the documentary Leaving Neverland, which details alleged child sex abuse by Jackson. Leaving Neverland won for best documentary or nonfiction special at the 2019 Creative Arts Emmys.
The Michael Jackson estate is also working on a Broadway show, MJ the Musical, with producer Lia Vollack that will cover Jackson’s career milestones with an emphasis on his achievements throughout his 20s and 30s.
