Spike Lee has a lot to say about critics of one of 2026’s most controversial and most successful movies.
The Anton Fuqua-directed music biopic, Michael, has been a hit with audiences, though it failed to win over critics. The film retells the story of Michael Jackson’s early days, with the king of pop’s nephew Jaafar Jackson playing the eponymous celebrity.
What did Spike Lee say about the Michael movie?
Lee took issue with how the film is being treated by critics, offering his take on the situation in an interview with CNN.
When asked for his thoughts on Jaafar’s starrer movie, the famous filmmaker simply said, “Love it,” and continued, “First of all, if you’re a movie critic and you’re complaining about the [allegations] that you know, all this other stuff, but the movie ends in ’88,” Lee said. “You’re talking about accusations [that] happen [later], so you’re critiquing the film on something you wanted, but it doesn’t work in the timeline of the film.”
“But the people who showed up, they showed up worldwide. People showed their love,” Lee added.
Lee is, of course, referring to Michael’s continued streak at the box office, raking in over $400 million globally. He’s not wrong, as audiences have continued to pour their love into the biopic, and for good reason. Of course, it must be noted that Lee has himself directed multiple music videos for Jackson, including 2009’s “This is It”.
While this year’s biopic didn’t touch on the pop king’s more controversial life events, there is a chance that its sequel might face them head-on. Lionsgate’s boss, Adam Fogelson, has already started pondering whether a sequel would even touch on the sexual abuse allegations faced by Jackson. However, the Michael sequel won’t be filmed anytime soon due to scheduling conflicts.
Michael is currently playing in theaters worldwide. ComingSoon’s own Jonathan Sim called it “an introduction delivered with undeniable style and energy” in his 8/10 review of Michael.
