Michael Jackson biopic just suffered a big awards blow after a controversial ruling
If you were fancying Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson blockbuster for awards-season glory, a Golden Globes eligibility call just clipped its wings.
So, Lionsgate had big plans for their Michael Jackson biopic—an all-singing, all-dancing awards darling, right? Well, that hit a rather large snag thanks to the Golden Globes and their sometimes baffling rulebook.
The Michael Jackson film hit $1.02 billion worldwide, making it the first biopic ever to break the billion-dollar box office barrier.
Globes Shut the Door (Sort Of)
The film, simply titled Michael, stars Jaafar Jackson as the King of Pop and came out in April 2026. Now, despite featuring plenty of iconic tracks, the Golden Globes have decided not to let it run in their Musical or Comedy categories. Why? Well, their reasoning is the songs don’t actually push the story forward—they’re mainly just big re-creations of Jackson’s hits. The rules (yes, there are very specific rules) say a musical needs its songs to contribute directly to the plot, not just pad the runtime.
Lionsgate aren’t taking this lying down and can still appeal before 31 October this year. But unless someone at the Globes changes their mind, the film’s headed to the Drama category instead—which is going to be packed with stiff competition, including The Odyssey, La Bola Negra, and other heavy hitters slated for this season.
The Rest of the Cast (And Their Chances)
If you’re wondering about the rest of the star-studded lineup, here’s what’s going on. Colman Domingo and Nia Long—both solid names—can still be nominated in supporting categories, as the ruling only blocked the film itself from the musical/comedy lanes. So, it’s not curtains for the whole team just yet.
There’s actually a bit of precedent here. Other recent musical biopics—think Bohemian Rhapsody, Elvis, even A Complete Unknown—all ended up as Dramas at the Globes, because, yes, apparently the Globes don’t fancy putting jukebox biopics into “Musical or Comedy” unless every song fuels the story like it’s La La Land.
In case you missed it amid the awards wrangling, Antoine Fuqua directed Michael, with a cast also boasting Miles Teller, Mike Myers, and Laura Harrier. With that, plus a $155 million budget, you’d expect they aimed high—and the box office certainly backed it up.
Next up: nominations for the 84th Golden Globes go public on 7 December 2026. Absolutely everyone involved with Michael will be watching closely, hoping the appeals panel turns out a bit less fussy than the first go-round.