Who is Michael Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson - who will play the King of Pop in his biopic?

The apple certainly does not fall far from the tree as Michael Jackson’s talented nephew has been cast to take on the role of the King of Pop in the upcoming biopic, ‘Michael’.

26-year-old Jaafar Jackson confirmed that he would be stepping into his uncle’s famous moonwalking shoes for the Lionsgate movie, directed by Antoine Fuqua, as he shared a picture of him in rehearsals.

The tweet was almost uncanny to his uncle as it looked like Michael Jackson was truly looking at ‘the man in the mirror’, with Jaafar donning his signature hat, shoes and pose in a studio.

Jaafar said: “I’m humbled and honoured to bring my Uncle Michael’s story to life. To all the fans all over the world, I’ll see you soon.”

While it may seem an obvious first choice for a blood relative to take on the King of Pop in his own biopic, director Fuqua revealed that Jaafar was picked after a ‘worldwide casting search’.

However, Jaafar’s ‘natural ability’ to emulate the ‘Thriller’ icon and his camera chemistry proved that he was the only person to take on the role as ‘Michael’ explores his most iconic performances, his legacy and also the controversies.

The biopic is in safe hands as producer Graham King is at the helm after working on the award-winning Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. King is also working with the co-executives of the Michael Jackson estate to pay homage to the King of Pop.

As this is Jaafar’s first major film role, PeopleWorld takes a look at who the next Smooth Criminal is.

Jaafar Jackson is the second-youngest son of Michael’s older brother singer-songwriter Jermaine, who too featured in the Jackson 5, and Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza.

Alejandra and Jermaine were married from 1995 to 2003 and had seven children including Jaafar - following their divorce, Alejandra notably went on to date Jaafar’s other uncle Randy.

Music runs in the Jackson blood as Jaafar has been singing since the age of 12, according to Deadline, and has released his own music in addition to covers of artists including Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke.

Most recently, Jaafar shared his original song ‘Got Me Singing’ in 2019 with a music video showcasing his talents, but he has featured in other Jackson projects namely Tito Jackson’s music video for ‘Love One Another’ and 2015’s Jacksons: The Next Generations.

With the biopic release date looming, Jaafar has shown that he can be a triple threat as he can dance, sing and act in addition to playing the piano, according to his IMDB page.

It has been reported that the 26-year-old originally wanted to become a professional golfer, but as ‘Michael’ is announced, Jaafar will continue the Jackson entertainment legacy.