Jaafar Jackson, nephew of the late Michael Jackson, was the spitting image of the late King of Pop while filming a scene for the upcoming Michael biopic on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old singer-dancer-turned-actor was seen filming a scene in which he was driving a car accompanied by an actress.
Filming took place at Hayvenhurst, Jackson’s compound in the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles, where Michael and much of his family lived since 1971.
The scene appeared to have been set sometime in the 1970s, based on the afro wig Jackson wore and the vintage cars that had been assembled on the street for filming.
Production continued just one day after it was revealed that Kat Graham would be joining the film to play Diana Ross.
Jaafar Jackson, nephew of the late Michael Jackson, was the spitting image of the late King of Pop while filming a scene for the upcoming Michael biopic on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old star appeared to film a scene filmed in the 1970s, based on his afro wig and vintage cars parked on the street; Pictured with Elton John in 1978 in New York.
Jaafar was seen driving a black convertible, while a woman dressed in red was sitting in the passenger seat.
Nia Long has been seen on set with Jaafar in recent weeks as she plays Michael’s mother, Katherine Jackson, but it was unclear who was in the car with him on Tuesday.
The back seat was occupied by a camera operator and his equipment, which may have been positioned to capture the two actors talking to each other from behind.
It was unclear from the angle of set photographs whether Jackson was actually driving or if the car was being towed, as most actors are not in control of vehicles in film and television lawsuits due to liability concerns.
Michael Jackson’s nephew was dressed in a white shirt and sporting a medium-sized afro and large wire-frame sunglasses.
In February, Jaafar was seen filming a scene that was presumably set in 1979, the year Jackson’s classic album Off The Wall was released, while standing in front of a wall dressed to match the album cover.
Behind-the-scenes footage from the shoot revealed how many workers were needed to keep everything running smoothly.
A team of several crew members was seen pushing a huge crane with a camera attached to the front, which could move and capture overhead shots of Jackson as he drove.
There also seemed to be several extras next to a row of classic cars dressed in period costumes.
They mingled with the crew members who seemed to be giving them instructions.
Although Hayvenhurst was at one point close to being sold, it appears to have remained within the Jackson family, and Michael’s daughter Paris Jackson has lived there.
Jaafar was seen driving a black convertible, while a woman dressed in red was sitting in the passenger seat. They were seen near Hayvenhurst, Jackson’s compound in the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Behind-the-scenes footage from the shoot revealed how many workers were needed to keep everything running smoothly. Several crew members were seen pushing a crane.
Actors dressed in period costumes stood near the cars, while crew members also joined them.
The complex, which is located in the San Fernando Valley, covers two acres and features multiple buildings, including a main house with five bedrooms and seven bathrooms on more than 10,000 square feet.
After moving from the family home in Gary, Indiana, and living in various locations in Los Angeles, Michael’s father, Joe Jackson, purchased the property in 1971.
Michael continued to live in Hayvenhurst until 1987, when he purchased Neverland Ranch.
The complex, which is located in the San Fernando Valley, covers two acres and features multiple buildings, including a main house with five bedrooms and seven bathrooms on more than 10,000 square feet.
After moving from the family home in Gary, Indiana, and living in various locations in Los Angeles, Michael’s father, Joe Jackson, purchased the property in 1971.
Michael continued to live in Hayvenhurst until 1987, when he purchased Neverland Ranch.
The upcoming biopic, set to be released on April 18, 2025, stars Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson and Miles Teller as Michael’s lawyer and future estate executor, John Branca.
The film is expected to cover much of Michael Jackson’s life, including accusations in the 1990s that he had sexually abused children.
In 1993, he was accused of sexually abusing 13-year-old Jordan Chandler, whom he had befriended after renting a car from his stepfather.
Police investigated after Chandler told a psychiatrist that Jackson had abused him, although the investigation was abandoned due to an alleged lack of evidence.
Chandler’s family sued Jackson in September 1993, before reaching a settlement early the following year.
The family subsequently stopped cooperating with police, leading to the closure of the investigation, and Jackson insisted he was innocent.
Production continued just one day after it was revealed that Kat Graham would be joining the film to play Diana Ross; Jackson and Ross photographed in 1981
The film is said to deal with child abuse allegations leveled against Jackson in 1993 and the 2000s, but Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed complained to Variety this month that a draft of the script was “shockingly false.” ; Jackson seen in 1993 at Super Bowl XXVII
In 2003, Jackson was charged with multiple counts of child sexual abuse and administering narcotics to commit child sexual abuse, which he denied. He was tried in 2005 and acquitted of all charges on June 13, 2005.
In early March, Dan Reed, who directed the documentary Leaving Neverland about the child sexual abuse allegations that dogged Jackson, called the upcoming biopic “shockingly false” after reading a draft of its script.
“Jackson is only seen caring for children with childhood cancer, or dancing with a girl in a wheelchair, or tucking in several young children, mostly his nephews, at sleepovers,” Reed said. Variety. “It seems as if the creators of the film were trapped in a room with John Branca and told what to write.”
Directed by Antoine Fuqua with a screenplay written by John Logan.