When Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chairman Adam Fogelson got word that the ending of “Michael,” the studio’s Michael Jackson biopic, needed to be completely reshot, he didn’t bemoan it as a massive headache. He saw it as a business opportunity.
The studio’s long-gestating big-screen telling of the King of Pop’s life is out now, but not as the filmmakers originally intended. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”) and starring Jackson’s real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson in the lead role, the movie initially told the full story of the music icon’s rise and fall.
But then Fogelson got that call. “Michael,” which was made with the support of Jackson’s estate, had initially depicted the 1993 police raid of Jackson’s Neverland Ranch following allegations of sexual abuse by 13-year-old Jordan Chandler. The filmmakers discovered after shooting that there was a clause in Chandler’s settlement barring any depiction of his case in a movie. According to Variety, reshoots cost the Jackson estate around $15 million. The film no longer touches on any of Jackson’s child sexual-abuse allegations.
Jackson and his estate have consistently denied the allegations. Jackson was acquitted on all counts in a 2005 criminal trial involving sexual-abuse allegations from another child, Gavin Arvizo.
Like many Hollywood executives I’ve met, Fogelson is cool, calm, and collected; he often gives a look that suggests he’s five steps ahead of you. But unlike his contemporaries, he also will give it to you straight.
He admitted he was always skeptical about making “Michael” one long stand-alone movie. Now, because of the reshoot snafu, he sees an opportunity to delve even deeper into the polarizing legend with a sequel that will get more bites of the apple at the box office.
“Look, there’s at least one more movie,” Fogelson told Business Insider during CinemaCon of a potential Michael Jackson movie franchise.
“Just speaking less as an employee of Lionsgate and more as a person who has spent a lot of time in the movie business, I was always excited by the possibility that you could make a more complete and satisfying telling of Michael’s story if you weren’t confined to only one movie,” he said.
Below, Fogelson explains the “Michael” drama, teases Lionsgate’s most anticipated upcoming titles, and looks back on the studio’s recent successes.
A ‘Michael’ sequel that explores the darker side of Michael Jackson could very well happen
Despite the reshoots, controversy, and poor reviews, “Michael” is tracking to be a major box office hit for the studio, with a projected domestic opening weekend north of $65 million. That number would best the opening weekends of past hit music biopics like “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Straight Outta Compton.”
The movie chronicles a portion of Jackson’s life, starting with his childhood as the lead singer of the Jackson 5, moving on to his solo success with “Off the Wall” and “Thriller,” and ending by teasing the making of “Bad.”
Despite all his success, back home, Jackson is under the thumb of his demanding father Joe (Colman Domingo), who beat him as a child. Once Jackson goes solo, Joe pressures him to do a Jackson 5 reunion tour.
That’s just one portion of the events the original movie planned to depict when it had an epic three-hour-plus run time, according to Fogelson.
A potential sequel (or sequels), could spotlight not just more of Jackson’s career highlights, but the superstar’s inevitable fall from grace — something Fogelson supports if director Antione Fuqua and writer John Logan decide to explore it.
“From my perspective, it’s important to try to give the audience an authentic understanding of who Michael Jackson was,” he said. “So I think that that can be done with or without some of what was in the third act that had to be scrapped.”
‘The Housemaid’ is getting a sequel, too — and cross your fingers for more ‘War Machine’
Following the global box-office success of last year’s “The Housemaid,” which took in close to $400 million worldwide on a $35 million budget, Lionsgate quickly announced a sequel, which will cover the events of author Freida McFadden’s follow-up book, “The Housemaid’s Secret.”
Though Sydney Sweeney returns, Fogelson promises the sequel won’t be a rehash but will meaningfully expand the story. He added that casting Kirsten Dunst is just the start of that exploration.
“The casting opportunities that this story has created is super exciting,” he said. “Kirsten’s introduction into this franchise and the response it has gotten is incredible; it’s not just more of the same.”
That’s not the only Lionsgate title that movie fans are eagerly anticipating. The studio was also behind the Netflix hit “War Machine,” which starred Alan Ritchson battling robot monsters.
Fogelson isn’t ready to officially announce a sequel, but noted that he doesn’t regret sending the movie straight to streaming.
Could a sequel get a theatrical run?
“No,” Fogelson said. “If there’s a sequel, Netflix has the opportunity to again have it.”
Fogelson promises the ‘Rambo’ prequel will honor the legacy of the beloved franchise
Currently in production is “John Rambo,” the prequel to the “Rambo” franchise that made Sylvester Stallone an action star. It’s directed by Jalmari Helander, who is responsible for the action-packed “Sisu” movies.
“The footage Jalmari has shot is extraordinary; it’s the best version of what I thought might be possible,” Fogelson said. “At this point in my career, it’s kind of rare for dailies to blow you away. You can be really happy, or you can say, ‘Oh no.’ It’s rare for it to be electric. These dailies are electric.”
The studio head also had high praise for the movie’s star, Noah Centineo (“Black Adam”), who has to fill Stallone’s boots in the iconic role of John Rambo.
“It is a prequel, but when you see him as this character, it simultaneously feels entirely fresh and yet has all of the nostalgic residue that you’d want,” Fogelson said. “You’re going to understand the character that you eventually meet in the subsequent films in a way that feels both entirely respectful of what was created previously and entirely original at the same time.”
From the ‘Hunger Games’ franchise to the return of John Wick, Fogelson is excited about what’s coming soon
Lionsgate will continue its successful “Hunger Games” franchise with “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” in November. Fans are already hyped: they’ve watched the trailer millions of times, and reports that Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are reprising their roles have amped up the anticipation. While Fogelson wouldn’t comment on if Lawrence and Hutcherson are returning, he knows the stakes are high for every “Hunger Games” release.
“We know it is our responsibility to do everything we can to honor what this source material is all about, and so we’re not skipping any steps or skimping anywhere to make sure we’re delivering for the fans,” he said.
Keanu Reeves is also returning for another “John Wick” movie. Back in 2024, “John Wick” director Chad Stahelski told Business Insider that “if we wake up tomorrow and there’s a good idea, we’re doing it,” with regards to making a fifth chapter in the franchise. Folgelson said Stahelski and Reeves have now found one.
“Chad and Keanu have an idea that they think can be really exciting,” he said, noting that the Donnie Yen “Caine” spin-off and animated prequel will both come out first. “There are a lot of steps, so I wouldn’t want to put a timeline on it. But in terms of finding a core idea, they seem to have landed on something that they are excited about, and now we’ll see.”
There are also other exciting projects in the pipeline, ranging from a “Dirty Dancing” sequel starring Jennifer Grey, to the continuation of the “Saw” franchise with its originator James Wan, to Margot Robbie attached to a Monopoly movie. The way Fogelson sees it, hitting big with the major IPs Lionsgate possesses keeps him employed, but it’s the success of movies like “The Housemaid” and Lionsgate’s other surprise hit last year, “The Long Walk,” that keep him excited.
“It’s the ability to combine those things that makes working at this place that Jon Feltheimer and Michael Burns built so special,” he said, shouting out the company’s CEO and vice chairman. “It’s why, personally, I’ve chosen to be in this space. It is the ability to be nimble and work on the biggest franchises, and also have these other films.”
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