Singer Michael Jackson could return to the charts with new music – as part of the upcoming biopic of his life. Executors at his estate have been exploring songs in his archives, which could feature in the blockbuster.
Producers have been reviewing music, short licks and compositions left over from the singer’s sessions on the Thriller, Bad and Dangerous albums. Their task is to assess whether new music can be created for the soundtrack.
Insiders claim that the ultimate goal would be for a composition to stand a chance of the late King Of Pop to get an Oscar nomination. Currently English super producer Graham King – who won an Oscar for We Will Rock You – is overseeing a reworking of the biopic, called Michael.
The goal remains to have the project in cinemas for early 2026. An Academy Award is the one major honour to elude the singer, even though he missed out with Ben in 1972.
The plan has been set in motion by the estate executors, who have kept their “cards close to their chest” about what potential materials remains in their archives. The biopic Michael features the late star’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, son of Jermaine in the lead role.
A Los Angeles music industry source revealed: “There are enormous hopes for the movie to reignite the world’s love of Michael’s music and certainly many of his lesser known tunes. As part of this, it’s expected there will be a greatest hits package. But there are also some other plans being put together, most excitingly for fans, which is the prospect of new music.
“Michael recorded a variety of unfinished ideas and short licks which have remained in the archives. They were either not developed or just left over from sessions to be reviewed another day. Lots of those digitized files have been reviewed and examined by the estate. And the ones, which best represent the magic of Michael, have been looked at by producers to create new tunes.
“The aim of that work is to deliver music that is on a par with Michael’s levels of excellence and artistry. That is a tough challenge, but it has been laid down to certain producers. The hope is that they can reach those heights.
“Of course the creation of any new music will make Michael eligible for an Oscar Best Song nomination. That would be huge for him and his family.”
The Jackson film, directed by Antoine Fuqua, has been hurriedly doing reshoots after encountering legal issues over the script. They have had to cut out plot lines concerning Jordan Chandler after breaching a 1993 legal deal. The film has been hit by accusations that it is sympathetic to Jackson in the wake of child abuse allegations.
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