Fresh off his celebrated turn as his late uncle Michael Jackson in the highest-grossing biopic of all time, Jaafar Jackson has found his next acting project. The rising star has joined the cast of Supermax, the action thriller from Amazon MGM Studios and Miramax directed by David Gordon Green, opposite Will Smith and AnnaSophia Robb. Details about his role are being kept under wraps, though it is said to be pivotal to the film’s central plot.
Supermax follows two FBI agents, played by Smith and Robb, investigating a seemingly impossible murder within the impenetrable walls of a maximum-security prison. Smith plays Rex, one of the lead investigators, in what marks his return to a non-franchise studio feature outside of his long-running Bad Boys run. Production is targeting a mid-August start, with Amazon MGM closing a worldwide distribution deal valued at approximately $70 million to bring the film to Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories.
Jackson garnered widespread critical acclaim for his transformative performance in Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua, which grossed over $1 billion for Lionsgate and stands as the highest-grossing biopic of all time, surpassing Oppenheimer and Bohemian Rhapsody. Taking on the role of his own uncle, the King of Pop, was no small task, and Jackson delivered on every level, recreating Michael Jackson’s signature dance moves including the Moonwalk, the Robot, the Spin and the Toe Stand. THR film critic David Rooney praised his performance, noting that Jackson “nails the sweet, soft-spoken voice with which Michael projected a childlike innocence and vulnerability, but also the single-minded focus with which he pushed his career forward.”
The screenplay for Supermax comes from David Weil and David J. Rosen, known for the TV series Hunters and Invasion. Producers include Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman of The Picture Company alongside Smith and Adam Fishbach for Westbrook Studios. Executive producers include Jonathan Glickman, Alexandra Loewy, Thom Zadra, Spencer Ela, Weil and Rosen.