Janet Jackson, the Grammy-winning pop star and younger sister of Michael Jackson, may have a very different reason for staying out of the new Michael biopic. Her nephew, Jaafar Jackson has hinted that the singer could have her own film in mind.
Jaafar Jackson says Janet Jackson has ideas about making her own biopic after sitting out Michael
Jaafar, the son of Jermaine Jackson, plays his uncle Michael in the Antoine Fuqua-directed biopic. The movie follows Michael’s rise from his early days with the Jackson 5 through the release of his hit solo album Bad in the late 1980s.
Janet did not take part in the film, even though several members of the Jackson family supported the project. “I don’t want to speak too early, but Janet has ideas of maybe doing her own film,” Jaafar, 30, said in his new GQ Middle East cover story.
“So having someone portrayed in this and then choosing a different actor for her own is just…” Jaafar said, trailing off.
Janet’s sister, La Toya Jackson previously confirmed that Janet had been invited to participate but decided against it. Speaking to Variety at the film’s April premiere in Los Angeles, La Toya said Janet “was asked and she kindly declined” and added, “So you have to respect her wishes.”
Meanwhile, Jaafar recalled how his family reacted when they first saw footage from Michael. He said he initially did not want to attend the screening. However, later he felt that he should be there because portraying a family member was such an emotional experience.
“There were some sniffles, a few cousins getting emotional,” Jaafar said. “And after it ended, I just got so many hugs and a lot of support… It was a relief, because there was a lot of worry as to how it was going to be done.”
A representative for Janet has not yet responded to a request for comment, as per PEOPLE.
The possibility of a Janet Jackson biopic comes as Michael continues to make a major impact. Following the film’s April release, it crossed $1 billion at the global box office in July.
