{"id":768732,"date":"2026-05-02T18:25:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T18:25:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/768732\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T18:25:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T18:25:30","slug":"michael-star-battles-studio-over-pay-contract-dispute-for-michael-jackson-movie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/768732\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Star Battles Studio Over Pay & Contract Dispute For Michael Jackson Movie"},"content":{"rendered":"

One Michael<\/a> star could be gearing up for legal action. <\/p>\n

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the Michael Jackson biopic hit theaters on April 24 and has been a major hit with audiences. Starring Jaafar Jackson as the titular pop star, the Michael cast<\/a> also includes Nia Long, Colman Domingo, Miles Teller, and Juliano Valdi. Though the film has been a box office win so far, there’s said to be tension brewing behind the scenes. <\/p>\n

According to a report from Puck<\/a>, Long, who plays Katherine, Michael’s mother, in the film, is threatening legal action against Lionsgate over a clause in her contract. Long is said to have had a “favored nations” clause in the document, which states that she cannot be paid less than her co-stars. <\/p>\n

\"Jaafar
\n Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson eating popcorn on the couch with Nia Long as Katherine Jackson in Michael 2026Credit:\u00a0Hilary Bronwyn Gayle \/ \u00a9 Lionsgate \/ Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

The trouble stems from Long finding out that both Domingo and Teller were paid more than she was for the film. She’s now reportedly threatening to take Lionsgate to mediation over the issue, though neither Lionsgate nor representatives for Long have commented on the matter.<\/p>\n

Katherine has less screen time in Michael than Domingo, who plays Joseph Jackson, but the report notes that the film underwent significant changes after Long signed on. Long was originally supposed to have a larger role, with an earlier script featuring a major scene for Katherine towards the end of the film.<\/p>\n

This is just the latest controversy surrounding Michael<\/a>, which has faced a challenging road to the big screen. The Hollywood Reporter<\/a> previously reported that the film had to scrap most of the original third act, including scenes focused on the 1993 child abuse allegations. These scenes are said to have been cut due to a clause in the settlement agreement with accuser Jordan Chandler, which prevents his depiction or mention in any film adaptation.<\/p>\n

The Jackson estate reportedly spent millions more to reshoot the ending of Michael<\/a>, with the film\u2019s conclusion being reworked to remove references to the child abuse allegations. The lack of this chapter of the pop star’s life being depicted, however, has been divisive, as it was a scandal that followed Jackson until his death in 2009.<\/p>\n

Though Michael reviews haven’t been positive from critics, due in part to a glossing over of the darker or more controversial aspects of Jackson’s life, the audience response has been glowing. On Rotten Tomatoes<\/a>, the film enjoys a 97% Popcornmeter score, in contrast to the lackluster 38% critics’ score. <\/p>\n

Michael<\/strong> is set to cross the $300 million mark worldwide in only its second weekend, indicating widespread enthusiasm from viewers. The film clearly sets up a sequel, which may start shooting later this year, but it’s unclear how Long’s legal dispute will impact her role in a follow-up. <\/p>\n

\"michael-poster.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n

\n Release Date<\/strong>\n <\/dt>\n
\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tApril 24, 2026<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n

\n Runtime<\/strong>\n <\/dt>\n
\n

\t\t\t\t130 minutes<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n

\n Director<\/strong>\n <\/dt>\n
\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAntoine Fuqua<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n

\n Writers<\/strong>\n <\/dt>\n
\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJohn Logan<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n

\n Producers<\/strong>\n <\/dt>\n
\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGraham King, John Branca, John McClain<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One Michael star could be gearing up for legal action. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the Michael Jackson biopic…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":768733,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[171,975,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-768732","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-music","10":"tag-united-states","11":"tag-unitedstates","12":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116506391350592689","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=768732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/768733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=768732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=768732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=768732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}