The new film about Michael Jackson, simply called “Michael,” is heading into awards season. And one of the very first decisions has nothing to do with the acting or the music. It’s a question about which door the movie walks through.
At the Golden Globes, films don’t all compete together. They get split into two big groups. One is for drama. The other is for musical or comedy. The studio behind “Michael,” Lionsgate, has to pick one.
So which is it? A drama about a man’s life? Or a musical, since the whole thing is built on his songs?
It’s trickier than it sounds. Gold Derby, which follows awards season closely, raised this exact question in a preview on October 12. Gold Derby reports that the awards experts it spoke with couldn’t agree. Some leaned one way and some the other.
Before you decide for yourself, it helps to see how other music movies have handled it. Because they really have gone both ways.
Some of the biggest ones ran as dramas and won big. “Bohemian Rhapsody,” about Freddie Mercury, took the drama prize and Rami Malek won Best Actor there in 2019. A few years later, Austin Butler won Best Actor in the drama group for playing Elvis Presley.
But plenty of others ran as a musical or comedy and won there instead. Jamie Foxx won for playing Ray Charles in “Ray.” Joaquin Phoenix won for playing Johnny Cash in “Walk the Line.” And Taron Egerton won for playing Elton John in “Rocketman.”
So there’s no single rule here. A studio can make a strong case either way, and where it lands can shape how the whole awards run goes.
Gold Derby reports the entries are due at the end of this month, with the nominations coming out on December 7. So the clock is ticking.
Now, about the young man playing Michael.
How Jaafar Jackson learned to sound exactly like his uncle
Watch this and listen to his speaking voice. Jaafar Jackson is Michael’s nephew, and he breaks down how he learned the soft, gentle way Michael talked until he could slip right into it. It’s uncanny.
That kind of care is a big reason people are even asking the Golden Globes question in the first place. When an actor disappears into a role like this, voters start paying attention.
Whether “Michael” ends up labeled a drama or a musical, the choice is a real one, and it’s coming fast.
If you were running the campaign, which way would you send it?