Jaafar Jackson Has Grown Up To Look Just Like His Famous Uncle Michael

News broke in January that a biopic about the life of Michael Jackson was in the works, and his nephew, Jaafar Jackson, Jermaine Jackson's son, was cast in the lead role. The film, titled "Michael," is directed by Antoine Fuqua — known for 2001's "Training Day" and "The Equalizer" franchise — and was given the blessing of Michael's estate. Members of the "Billie Jean" artist's family also offered their blessing to the casting choice. "Jaafar embodies my son. It's so wonderful to see him carry on the Jackson legacy of entertainers and performers," Michael's mother, Katherine Jackson, told Variety when the film was announced. Producers went on an international casting call to secure the best facsimile for the lead in "Michael," and in the end, decided that his nephew had the closest look and flair of the deceased singer. "I met Jaafar over two years ago and was blown away by the way he organically personifies the spirit and personality of Michael," said the film's producer, Graham King.

Fuqua, a seasoned film director who first started in the business making music videos, was thrilled about the opportunity to tackle Michael's story. "For me, there is no artist with the power, the charisma, and the sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson," he told The Hollywood Reporter in January. 

Once the film was announced, Fuqua took to Instagram to share a snap of Jaafar performing as his uncle. The photo and casting announcement drummed up serious interest from fans of the "Thriller" artist. Months later, footage dropped online that showed how closely Jaafar embodied his uncle. 

On November 28, a short video was released that revealed Jaafar Jackson channeling late-'80s Michael Jackson. In the clip, released by Splash News, Jaafar was filmed singing and dancing while dressed similarly to "Bad"-era Michael. He perfectly encapsulated his uncle's dance moves and even sported the same hairstyle as the legendary performer. 

It should come as no surprise to fans who have been following the progress of "Michael" closely that Jaafar nailed the role. Earlier, the biopic's director, Antoine Fuqua, raved about the lead's performance. "It's uncanny how much he's like Michael," Fuqua said of Jaafar's work on the film when speaking to Entertainment Weekly in August. "Sounds like him, dances like him, sings. It's really uncanny. Graham King, who is a fantastic producer, found him, and introduced him to me, and I was blown away," the director added.

When the news that Michael's nephew was cast as the lead in the biopic was announced in January, Jaafar shared a message on Instagram. "I'm humbled and honored to bring my Uncle Michael's story to life," He wrote. After the footage of him performing as the "Man in the Mirror" singer was posted online, fans echoed Fuqua's sentiments about Jaafar nailing the part. "Michael" is Jaafar's first major film role, but he had a music career before being nabbed to work on the flick.

Jaafar Jackson took a different approach to music than his father and uncle. Unlike Jermaine Jackson, Michael Jackson, and their siblings, Jaafar did not take music seriously at a young age. Originally, Jaafar spent his time playing golf, and it was not until Jermaine tasked him with learning the lyrics and dance moves to the Jackson 5 song "Touch" when he was 13 years old that he started to embrace his talents for performing. "From then on I started to put all my focus into music," Jaafar recalled to The Hype Magazine in 2019. After that, he would spend time in the studio with his father, which kicked off his musical pursuits. When Jaafar started making his own music, he turned to his father for feedback. "I would send him copies of the songs and he'd send back his honest opinion and notes on how it could be better," Jaafar said. 

A few years before he was cast in "Michael," Jaafar released his own single titled "Got Me Singing" in 2019. The track exploded and racked up millions of views on YouTube after news broke that Jaafar would be portraying his uncle.

Long before he landed the role to play Michael on film, Jaafar recalled being fond of the "Beat It" singer. "There's been quite a few great memories with my uncle Michael. I'd say my most cherished one would be playing hide and go seek with him at Neverland," he told D'SCENE in 2017. "A lot of people misunderstood him," Jaafar said.