It may seem a touch unfair to judge a performance before it has even, you know, happened.
Time and time again, performers who looked destined to crap the cinematic bed have proven their doubters wrong, putting an unexpectedly superb shift in and earning some well-deserved praise. Just look at the likes of the late, great Heath Ledger, whose initial casting as The Joker in The Dark Knight had many scoffing at the idea of the Brokeback Mountain bloke trying to play the iconic Clown Prince of Crime.
Oh, how wrong they were…
That being said, it’s still hard to look at any of the following upcoming performances and imagine them being anything other than disappointing, frustrating, or even embarrassing. The trailers showing the actors involved well and truly phoning it in, a franchise’s track record pointing to yet another underwhelming turn from an A-list star, and a relative unknown perhaps biting off more than they can chew are just some of the reasons these pieces of work seem doomed already.
Hopefully this list is wrong, and each of the names in question pulls a Ledger. But it’s more likely that the following performances are all going to crash and burn on the big screen.
Bringing any icon to life on-screen can be a quite daunting task, even for the most experienced actors out there.
So, you can only imagine the pressure Michael Jackson’s own nephew Jaafar Jackson must be feeling at present, with the acting newcomer set to play ‘The King of Pop’ in the upcoming Michael movie – set to release on April 18, 2025.
Now, it must be said that early reactions to footage Lionsgate released of the biopic have praised Jaafar’s ability to replicate his uncle’s legendary physicality and moves on stage. But there’s obviously so much more to this type of leading performance, with Jaafar likely being required to navigate some quite serious and dark dramatic chapters in this story of MJ’s often controversial life – though it’s still unknown precisely how this Jackson estate-endorsed movie will cover the sexual abuse allegations that have been brought against Jackson over the years.
Jaafar could surprise everyone and show off some serious chops in his acting debut, of course. Director Antoine Fuqua has even gone out of his way to note (via Variety) that Jaafar “has a natural ability to emulate Michael and such a great chemistry with the camera.”
However, it’s hard to see how a performer with so little experience in front of the camera will be able to deliver the sort of complex, nuanced, and charismatic performance needed to really anchor a huge movie based on such a well-known superstar.
This post was originally published on here
