Domingo’s casting follows news that Michael’s nephew, Jaafar, will be taking on the role of the pop icon.
Colman Domingo will be taking on the role of Michael Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson, in the upcoming biopic about the pop star’s life.
Lionsgate and Universal Pictures announced Thursday that Colman will star as the “hard-driving, singularly focused, controversial” Jackson family patriarch in Michael, which is slated to hit theaters April 18, 2025.
Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, will make his acting debut in the starring role, playing the beloved musical icon.
Michael will be directed by Antoine Fuqua, with three-time Oscar nominee, John Logan, penning the script. Graham King, meanwhile, who is behind Oscar-winning films like Bohemian Rhapsody, The Aviator and The Departed, will serve as producer, along with the co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate.
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“Few actors present themselves with Colman’s screen presence and force of will,” King said in a press release shared Thursday. “We’re so fortunate to have an actor with his undeniable talent portraying Joe Jackson on screen. We couldn’t be more excited to have him join us on this journey.”
Domingo also shared a statement, in which he expressed his excitement at taking on the “complex and flawed” character that is Joe Jackson.
“I’m excited to be a part of a film that explores both the complicated soul of the legendary Michael Jackson as well as his impact on music and culture as a global icon. Not only am I fortunate to have a rich, complex and flawed character to portray in Joe Jackson, but I also have a front row seat for Jaafar’s incredible transformation,” Domingo said, praising Michael’s nephew. “After seeing him in rehearsal, my mind was blown. There is something divine about the way that Jaafar is channeling his late uncle. His talent and embodiment of Michael’s essence is simply on another level.”
Joe was well known for managing his bevy of talented children, from the Jackson 5, which produced talents like Michael, to daughter, Janet Jackson, but it was his stern parenting style and the rigid way in which he operated that left behind a contentious legacy.
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Still, his contributions to music were many, and he was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2014. He died four years later in 2018, following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Domingo’s casting as Joe Jackson comes amid his Oscar-nominated performance in Rustin, as well as his work in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Zola, Fear the Walking Dead and the recently released musical re-telling of The Color Purple.
Sharing a similar sentiment on Instagram, along with an article about the casting, Domingo wrote, “Next up. I am excited. Jaafar is a revelation.”
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The film’s log-line describes Michael as a film that will “bring audiences a riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant yet complicated man who became known worldwide as the King of Pop. The film presents his triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale — from his human side and personal struggles to his undeniable creative genius, captured by his most iconic performances.”
It continues, “As never before, audiences will experience an inside look into one of the most influential, trailblazing artists the world has ever known.”
