30% of Michael 2 has already been shot!

The Lionsgate studio is rubbing its hands: it will be able to release a sequel at a lower cost, since a good part is already in the box.

The rest will take place. The Lionsgate studio intends to tell the rest of Michael’s life. Especially since he has already filmed a good part of it.

During an exchange relayed by Deadline, Lionsgate’s cinema boss, Adam Fogelson, confirmed that Michael 2 was progressing very quickly behind the scenes: “We are really very enthusiastic about the progress being made on the sequel,” he explains. “Discussions with all parties involved are going exceptionally well.”

But above all, Fogelson reveals a pretty crazy detail: an important part of the film is already in the can:

“We already have between 25% and 30% of a second film shot thanks to the previous production.”

In other words, Lionsgate intends to retake the sequences from the first cut of Michael, cut for legal reasons last year. Indeed, Antoine Fuqua had initially planned to integrate the dark years of the King of Pop into his biopic. A first montage of Michael, lasting more than 4 hours, notably addressed the accusations against Michael Jackson. But that controversial era was sidelined due to legal agreements related to Jordan Chandler’s trial, stipulating that no mention of his name or family could appear in any film or documentary. The film was therefore largely rewritten. The third act was completely reshot, with 22 additional days of filming in June 2025, at an additional cost estimated between $10 and $15 million.

A bad financial blow at the time… which turns into a jackpot for Lionsgate today.

Because Michael 2 should be able to reuse these sequences – certainly by putting them through the mill of its legal department to avoid a trial. Adam Fogelson emphasizes that this filmed material will represent a considerable advantage for the production, even if he still refuses to precisely detail the financial impact of such a saving:

“This will obviously be of major importance to the budget of the film. But above all we want to make sure we make a big, spectacular and satisfying film for global audiences.”

After having largely explored the childhood, the rise and the beginnings of the reign of Michael Jackson, the sequel should therefore focus on the 1990s, the scandals, the affairs, the throes of his private life, but also his great musical successes, in particular the album and the Dangerous tour (which will bring together nearly four million people around the world).

“There is a huge amount of story left to tell around Michael Jackson, as well as a huge portion of his most popular musical catalog that hasn’t even been touched on in the first film! We are very confident that we have on our hands a hugely entertaining film capable of once again captivating a global audience.”

Michael stars Jaafar Jackson as his uncle alongside Colman Domingo, Nia Long and Miles Teller. With more than $700 million already raked in at the worldwide box office, the film could become the very first billionaire in Lionsgate’s history.