Michael (2026), the brand-new biopic depicting the first several decades of music legend Michael Jackson‘s career, has just hit theaters, but fans are already noticing that several key events in Jackson’s life were left out of the blockbuster. Michael Jackson is one of the most decorated and celebrated music artists in history. In fact, nearly 20 years after his death, his music can still be heard everywhere, from new movies to playlists capturing songs that have topped the charts over the years.

Yet, Jackson’s life wasn’t so picture perfect. As shown in Michael, he had a very difficult childhood, which included violence from his father and other strains in his early life, including pervasive loneliness and the feeling that he was just too different from kids his age. He also faced a host of allegations of child sexual assault. What coincided with that at times challenging upbringing and later controversy was what is almost universally seen as a once-in-a-generation talent that has made Jackson one of the biggest names in music history and the affectionately named King of Pop.

Michael captures these conflicting aspects of Jackson’s life and career (while controversially omitting the allegations), up until the beginning of his Bad Tour in 1987. Michael’s ending comes just as that tour kicks off, on the heels of the Jackson 5’s final tour, the Victory Tour, together. Because of that timing, there are many events from Michael Jackson’s life that are not shown in the movie. However, with the movie’s hint that a sequel could be coming, those events may be shown on screen after all. Here are 5 key Michael Jackson moments that could be included.

The Births Of Michael Jackson’s Three Children

Among the biggest events in Michael Jackson’s life that took place after Michael’s conclusion were the births of his three children: Prince Jackson, Paris Jackson, and Bigi Jackson, who were born in 1997, 1998, and 2002, respectively. Although Paris Jackson is herself an actress and singer, the three have largely stayed out of the public eye since their father’s passing.

Unsurprisingly, however, Jackson’s children were a massive part of his life from the moment they were born. When they were young, he was often seen with them in public, and he spoke frequently about how much he loved being a dad. In turn, his children—both when they were young and in recent years—have spoken about how much their dad meant to them. If a sequel were to continue Jackson’s story, it makes sense that his children would make an appearance.

Additional Scenes From The Bad Tour

As mentioned, Michael concludes right at the beginning of the Bad Tour, and unlike his many performances featured in the movie, there isn’t much of a depiction of this tour, despite its significance in his larger career. In addition to that importance, it would make sense for a sequel to Michael to continue the first movie’s emphasis on Jackson’s musical career, especially because Michael felt like a traditional biopic, focused on Jackson’s life story (albeit with some liberties taken, although that is likewise common for the genre), as well as a full-blown concert at times.

Presumably, if the creators wanted a sequel movie to strike that same balance, they would draw upon Jackson’s later tours, the Bad Tour certainly among them. The real-life Bad Tour also included some of Jackson’s greatest hits of all time, including the titular song “Bad,” as well as songs like “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” “Smooth Criminal,” “Billie Jean,” and “Thriller,” among others. Granted, several of the aforementioned songs were in Michael, such as “Thriller,” the creation of which is a major part of the movie, but these would still be great songs to include in a follow-up movie.

The Release Of Several Major Michael Jackson Hits

Although many of Jackson’s best songs were already released by his Bad Tour, many more of his greatest hits were created after that. Among those titles are “They Don’t Care About Us,” “Earth Song,” and “Black or White,” which were released in 1995, 1995, and 1991, respectively. Notably, this era and these songs also represent a more serious tonal shift in Jackson’s discography, in which he was beginning to tackle more real-life, heavy topics. “They Don’t Care About Us,” for example, is a critique of societal/structural racism and police brutality.

“Earth Song” likewise has a more serious tone compared to much of Jackson’s earlier work, and it tackles some of humanity’s biggest flaws, including war and other forms of violence. If a sequel was going to explore the way in which both Jackson and his music changed and developed in his later years, as it arguably should, then this would be a great era and transformation to focus on.

Michael Jackson’s Death In 2009

With Michael spanning decades and ending in the late 80s, it would make sense for Jackson’s death in 2009 to be included in a second movie, assuming the studio only wants to put out one sequel. It’s possible that the first movie and Jackson’s life could be explored in more than one additional movie, although that would undoubtedly lead to backlash and accusations of the movies being a cash grab (something many have already alleged) and milking the music legend’s life story.

It would also make sense for a sequel biopic to end in this way, not only because it would mean both movies more or less spanning his entire life and would capture how this iconic singer’s life came to an end. Of course, that may prove controversial in its own way, depending on how it was handled, especially because there are conspiracy theories and various perspectives on how Jackson died, ranging from the most commonly accepted belief that Jackson died as a complication of substance use to the more jarring theory that he was intentionally killed.

A Michael sequel may therefore be wary of depicting his death, especially considering some members of the Jackson family, including his daughter Paris Jackson and his sister Janet Jackson, have already expressed that they were not fans of Michael and how it represented Jackson’s life. Showing his death would require the movie to tread even more carefully, which may be too risky for the creative minds behind the project to want to try.

The Allegations Made Against Michael Jackson

Finally, if there is a sequel to Michael, which is only rumored for now (although the ending of the first movie heavily hints that is coming, by revealing “His story will continue”), it would almost certainly have to address the aforementioned allegations of sexual misconduct against children. For one, the timeline would almost certainly demand it, as the first allegations came out in 1993, just a few years after Michael concludes. Additionally, the movie has faced swift and intense backlash for leaving this aspect of Jackson’s life out.

That would no doubt only get worse if a sequel story—especially one set during that period of Jackson’s life—repeated that decision. If there is a defense to be made for Michael omitting those details, it would arguably be that the movie doesn’t overlap with those years. The same would not be true for a sequel, however, which would mean that those events would almost have to be included, at least to the extent that the estate is legally allowed to do so. Reportedly, the studio was unable to depict certain aspects of these allegations because of prior legal settlements.

Release Date

April 24, 2026

Runtime

130 minutes

Director

Antoine Fuqua

Writers

John Logan

Producers

Graham King, John Branca, John McClain