Jaafar Jackson Says Cut "Michael" Scenes Made Him a Better Actor as Sequel Talk Heats Up

Jaafar Jackson isn’t bitter about the footage that didn’t make the final cut of“Michael.”In a new Variety interview, the actor said the deleted scenes made him better at his craft, adding,“You wish a certain performance was in there and it’s not.”The scenes came from the biopic’s original third act, which dealt with the child sexual abuse allegations against Michael Jackson. Legal restrictions tied to a settlement with an accuser forced filmmakers to rewrite and reshoot that portion of the film.

The rewrite didn’t hurt the box office. Antoine Fuqua’s“Michael”has grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, and Lionsgate is already thinking ahead. The studio has floated late 2026 or early 2027 as a possible filming window for“Michael 2,”and the California Film Commission lists a conditional $30.8 million tax credit for the project. No official start date has been set, and Jackson himself says he has nothing locked in yet.

In the meantime, he’s been building out his own résumé. Jackson spent about 40 days in Australia filming“Supermax,”a thriller opposite Will Smith. So between a billion-dollar biopic, a possible sequel, and a new action movie, the nephew of the King of Pop is carving out a lane of his own.

Would you watch a director’s cut of“Michael”with the original third act restored? Sound off in the comments.