Michael Jackson's nephew to play the late pop icon in Antoine Fuqua’s biopic

Jaafar Jackson, the 26-year-old nephew of late King of Pop Michael Jackson will play the late icon in the Antoine Fuqua-directed film biopic.

Fuqua just posted a confirmation on Instagram.

Jaafar has been singing and dancing since age 12, and has showcased himself singing tunes from Sam Cooke to Marvin Gaye, along with originals. The singer and songwriter is the son of Jermaine Jackson, who is the brother of Michael and member of The Jackson 5.

The Emancipation director signed on to next direct Michael, which has a script by John Logan. The film is being produced by Graham King, who turned the Freddie Mercury Queen story into the blockbuster 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. 'King' and screenwriter Anthony McCarten captured the complexities of Freddie Mercury's life before he died from AIDS.

According to a report, the film will not shy away from the controversies of Jackson's life, the pedophile accusations that haunted his latest years up to his death in 2009 at age 50 from cardiac arrest caused by a cocktail of sedatives.

King and Oscar-nominated Gladiator screenwriter Logan previously threaded the needle perfectly with director Martin Scorsese on 'The Aviator', with Leonardo Di Caprio playing Howard Hughes.

Michael will also be driven by Jackson's musical accomplishments, which gives the film global potential similar to 'Bohemian Rhapsody', which grossed over $900 million worldwide, boosted the song catalog of Queen, got a Best Picture Oscar nomination and a win for star Rami Malek.

Fuqua is currently finishing 'The Equalizer 3' with Denzel Washington in Italy.