Miles Teller has undergone a drastic transformation for his role in the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic.
While Teller, 38, isn’t playing the King of Pop himself, he has taken on the role of Jackson’s lawyer and manager, John Branca.
For the part, the Whiplash actor has grown his usually short hair down to his shoulders and sported facial prosthetics.
After the image from the film went viral on social media, a lot of users on X admitted that they thought Teller was playing Jackson.
‘Some people misread this and thought he was playing as Michael Jackson. Tears in my ears at the thought of that now,’ commented one.
‘Miles Teller definitely showed up to audition for white Michael Jackson,’ joked another.
Miles Teller has undergone a drastic transformation for his role in the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic by growing his hair out
Teller is pictured with his usual short hair at a movie screening on November 5
‘Who put Miles in that wig?’ asked a third, while a fourth wrote, ‘If they ever do a biopic about Steve Perry and Journey, Teller better be cast in that.’
The highly-anticipated biopic, simply titled Michael, is due to hit theatres next April.
It is being directed by Antoine Fuqua, who is best known for The Equalizer trilogy and Training Day.
Jackson’s own nephew Jaafar Jackson is playing his late uncle in the movie.
Jaafar – who is the son of Jermaine Jackson and Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza – has been filming scenes of the biopic since 2023.
The long-awaited trailer for Michael was released on Thursday and comes after a number of delays.
It was originally due out in October, but the official release date for theaters is now April 24, 2026.
Teller plays MJ’s lawyer and executor of his estate John Branca in the film – Branca pictured 2023
Jackson’s own nephew Jaafar Jackson is playing his late uncle in the movie
Jackson was pictured onstage in the Netherlands in 1992
Sources told Deadline back in July that one of the reasons for the delay was due to ‘distribution plans’ – with the film set to be shown on IMAX screens.
Another reason was due to an excessive running time, with one edit of the movie being over 3 1/2 hours long.
Other delays were the result of certain references to Jordan Chandler – an individual who had accused Michael of sexual assault – which had to be taken out of one of the edited drafts due to a pre-existing agreement.
Insiders also told the outlet that a second movie about the Smooth Criminal hitmaker is in development.
The movie ‘tells the story of Michael Jackson’s life beyond the music, tracing his journey from the discovery of his extraordinary talent as the lead of the Jackson Five, to the visionary artist whose creative ambition fueled a relentless pursuit to become the biggest entertainer in the world,’ per The Hollywood Reporter.
‘Highlighting both his life off-stage and some of the most iconic performances from his early solo career, the film gives audiences a front-row seat to Michael Jackson as never before. This is where his story begin.’
Michael JacksonMiles Teller
