Michael Director Addresses Original 4-Hour Cut & Changes From "The Best Editors In The World"

2 days ago 3

Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson walking through a crowd in Michael 2026

Published Apr 21, 2026, 2:26 PM EDT

Director Antoine Fuqua reveals how he was able to cut the new Michael Jackson biopic Michael down from four hours to just over two hours.

Fuqua managed to get the movie's runtime down to a manageable two hours and seven minutes, with the help of some very talented editors, as he revealed in an interview with ScreenRant's Liam Crowley. The filmmaker explained that he had the "best editors in the world" working on this project, who know how to tell great stories on the big screen.

There were times when producer Graham King would call him in the middle of the night because "he'd have a thought about something, and you go back into editing." The filmmaker added that when it comes to finishing the post-production process, Lionsgate just "took the film from us a couple of days ago."

"Great editors. The best editors in the world, man. It wasn't easy. And Graham would call me at two or three in the morning because he'd have a thought about something, and you go back into the editing. I think they just took the film from us a couple of days ago."

John Ottman (who has worked on such projects as Superman Returns, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and music biopic Bohemian Rhapsody) and Harry Yoon (whose credits include The Newsroom, Euphoria, and Thunderbolts*) were the editors on Michael. They came to this project with various achievements under their belts, including an Oscar for Ottman and an Eddie Award nomination from the American Cinema Editors for Yoon.

King, who served as a producer with John Branca and John McClain, has been working on Michael for the past four or five years, with Fuqua coming on board a few years ago as the director. The filmmaker noted that "you need fresh eyes sometimes to come in and help shape it," along with a superb team of editors who know exactly how to craft a behemoth like the original four-hour cut of Michael and make it accessible to general moviegoers.

"It's great editors, man. Great storytellers that we work with. Those guys came in and helped us hone it in. Graham's been on it for four or five years. I've been on it for two years. You need fresh eyes sometimes to come in and help shape it. And great editors, that's what they do."

Michael Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson plays his uncle in the upcoming music biopic Michael. His co-stars in the film are Colman Domingo, Nia Long, Miles Teller, Laura Harrier, Jamal R. Henderson, Tre Horton, Rhyan Hill, Joseph David-Jones, Jessica Sula, Kendrick Sampson, and Larenz Tate.

The King of Pop was (and remains) one of the biggest and most successful artists in the entire world. After making it in the industry with the Jackson 5, he eventually became a solo artist and released hit after hit, including "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Beat It," "Thriller," "Billie Jean," and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," all of which will be featured in the film.

Ahead of its theatrical release, ScreenRant's Liz Declan gave Michael a positive review and called the film a masterful biopic, though its overall Rotten Tomatoes score among critics currently sits at 31%.

Michael will be released in theaters on Friday, April 24, 2026.