How Far Antoine Fuqua Got on Michael Before Reshoots — and If He’ll Be Back for the Next Chapter

The new Michael Jackson biopic is already a monster hit: in just its debut weekend, it pulled in over $200 million worldwide. No shocker, considering the subject matter and the interest that still clings to everything MJ. But here’s where things get interesting—and a little complicated.

The Movie You Saw Wasn't the Movie They First Made

So, the Michael you saw in theaters? That’s not the full story the filmmakers originally shot. The team actually filmed Jackson’s life deep into the 90s—including sections touching on the more controversial aspects and the infamous allegations against him. But those scenes? They got axed in later reshoots.

Why the change? In short: legal landmines. The original cut went 'pretty far,' according to director Antoine Fuqua. Here’s what he had to say:

'We went pretty far. We went through the Jordan allegations we couldn’t use. We went farther than that. Maybe a year or two after that (1995) when things turned against Michael.'

So yes, originally there was a whole chunk of MJ’s story that’s not in the final film—the stuff that really divided the public back in the day. Lionsgate and Universal apparently decided it was safer (and also more marketable, let’s be honest) to not go there… at least not yet.

Reshoots, Rewrites, and Rolling With It

As for how this all went down behind the scenes? The writers had to do some nimble editing. John Logan, the screenwriter, was updating scripts practically while the cameras were rolling. There was a lot of reshuffling about how to end the movie, especially when the original plan suddenly became unusable.

Fuqua explained it like this: they’d shoot, rewrite, consult, then do it all again—trying to keep the movie’s backbone intact as they figured out what to leave in and what to cut. Not exactly a calm, orderly affair.

What About a Sequel?

Naturally, the question comes up: with so much cut material, are we looking at a Part Two? Fuqua didn’t dodge. Could the missing third of the movie work as a sequel?

'Absolutely.'

And when pressed about sticking around to direct that sequel, he admits he wants the job—schedule permitting. In his words:

'I would like to, it’s just about scheduling. It would kill me if somebody else did it.'

The Takeaway (For Now)

For now, we have a hit Michael Jackson film that stops before things really got heated in his life. If you were hoping for a warts-and-all look at the 90s controversies, you’ll have to wait for a sequel—assuming Lionsgate and Universal sort out all the legal red tape. But with this kind of box office haul, it’s hard to picture the studios walking away from the juiciest (and most challenging) material for good.