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Oscar-nominated actor Colman Domingo has played real-life people before – he was nominated for his role as civil rights activist Bayard Rustin in the Netflix film Rustin.
But his next role as Joe Jackson in the Michael Jackson biopic directed by Antoine Fuqua has people both critical and curious. Some movie insiders say that the film will provide a portrait of the late superstar that downplays the controversies in his lifetime. After all, Micheal is being portrayed by his nephew Jaafar Jackson, the son of Michael’s older brother and oftentimes rival Jermaine.
But Domingo says that from what he’s seen, Fuqua’s film will show the full complexity of the King of Pop, who died in 2009 at age 50.
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“I think it’s going to surprise people what we’re going to do with this film,” Domingo told Entertainment Tonight in a recent interview. “It’s going to be epic.”
Fuqua posted a photo from the film a few months ago, the first time the public caught a glimpse of Jaafar performing as his uncle.
“Your first look at #MichaelMovie. Starring Jaafar Jackson – in theaters April 2025,” Fuqua said in his post. “Photograph by the renowned photographer Kevin Mazur, who documented Michael’s final rehearsal, and is now the first to photograph Jaafar in character as Michael.”
When asked about the criticism, Domingo added, “Michael Jackson is undeniably one of the most prolific artists that have ever been on this planet. And he’s a complicated human being and I think what the film will do is tell the story of a very complicated person. Everyone has a story and everyone has a story to tell and that’s what we’re going to do. Strive to tell it.”
The 54-year-old actor has been working for decades but has recently enjoyed an uptick in visibility with projects like Rustin, The Color Purple, Euphoria and Zola. He won an Emmy for his role as an addict in Euphoria.
But playing Joe Jackson, the notoriously demanding and borderline – depending on which sibling you ask – abusive father of Michael, Janet and the rest of their famous siblings will be his most high-profile role ever. While Joe was known as a strong patriarch who kept his nine children focused on entertainment and out of the streets growing up in Gary, Indiana, he was also known to push his children to extremes, especially Michael.
“Watching Jaafar play his uncle, Michael Jackson, has been the honor of a lifetime,” Domingo said to Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet at the Screen Actors Guild Awards earlier this year. “Working with Nia Long who plays my wife Katherine, Antoine Fuqua, [a]beautiful director, we’re having a great time. Everything is about honoring Michael’s legacy.”
The Michael Jackson biopic is scheduled for release in April 2025.
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