Fans In Awe Of Jaafar Jackson In New Michael Jackson Biopic

Jaafar Jackson is drawing widespread praise on social media for his performance in the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic.

The artist is set to make his professional acting debut with a role playing his famous uncle in the Lionsgate film “Michael.”

The movie is scheduled to premiere in April and features a cast that includes Colman Domingo, Nia Long, and Miles Teller, among others.

Despite his lack of prior acting roles, Jaafar Jackson has received positive feedback for his performance from online viewers as well as industry figures reacting to the trailer.

The renewed wave of praise surrounding Jackson on social media follows Lionsgate’s release of the first full trailer for “Michael.”

The roughly two-minute trailer was uploaded on Lionsgate’s official YouTube channel earlier this week.

The studio had previously offered fans a glimpse into Jackson’s portrayal of Michael through an official teaser released in late 2025.

The clip quickly amassed millions of views online. Even at that stage, the comment section was flooded with as many compliments for the breakout actor as there were for his uncle.

When the child of a prominent Hollywood personality lands a role as high-profile as Jackson did in “Michael,” questions are often asked about their qualification. The term “nepo baby” has arguably become a common phrase in pop culture as a result.

In this instance, however, the early signs appear to bode well for Jackson. Viewers and industry figures have been responding equally positively to his performance as Michael Jackson.

One mesmerized viewer on X likened the experience of watching Jackson in the trailer to seeing Michael Jackson reborn.

“The way he moves… that is genetic memory,” the user wrote. “You can’t teach that level of precision. We are witnessing a resurrection.”

The resemblance has also been acknowledged by the creators of the film. In a 2023 interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Antoine Fuqua recalled how struck he was by the similarities.

 “[He] sounds like him, dances like him, sings,” Fuqua said. “It’s really uncanny.”

Jackson is not the only cast member getting plaudits for their performance in “Michael.” Domingo’s cameo in the trailer has also set tongues wagging, with some viewers already floating awards buzz for the actor.

In the film, Domingo is joined by Nia Long to portray Michael Jackson’s parents, Joe and Katherine.

The “Euphoria” star has had social media raving about his physical resemblance to Joe in the movie. However, it is his intimidating performance that has already begun to stir talk of prestigious awards.

“Colman Domingo is scary as F-CK in this clip,” the fan wrote on X. “He’s clearing all the best supporting actor awards, I fear.”

Another user reiterated the sentiment, arguing that an Academy Award is a foregone conclusion.

“Colman Domingo, your 2027 Oscar is ready, sir,” the fan said.

Jackson’s portrayal of his uncle in “Michael” also relied on real-life memories that the actor has from his childhood.

In 2020, Jackson was interviewed by the South China Morning Post about those experiences, and he described that period of his life with a positive tone.

“I recall being at Neverland, playing hide and seek, going on rides, watching movies, and just having a great time,” Jackson said.

The hype surrounding the release of “Michael” is becoming so big that some people are already making very bold predictions about the film’s cultural and financial impact.

From the early snippets of the film that fans have seen so far, Jackson is already being tipped to become the first biopic in history to gross $1.5 billion at the box office.

“‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ grossed $900M, so I think ‘Michael’ will be well over $1B,” one user wrote on Reddit.