Written by Vibeka Mair
Michael is officially the most successful biopic of all time.
Generating $977 million at the box office, with predictions that it could be the first biopic to reach $1bn in ticket sales.
Fans are captivated by Jaafar Jackson’s dazzling performance as his uncle Michael Jackson, which captures not only his musical and dance prowess but also his genius, insecurities, loneliness, and troubled childhood.
Michael Credit: Lionsgate Films
Hollywood keeps returning to music biopics because audiences remain fascinated by the spectacle of fame. Recent successful films like Bohemian Rhapsody, Elvis, and Straight Outta Compton prove that viewers are hungry for stories about icons who shaped culture but also often faced personal tragedies.
Fame has become mythology. These artists are not simply musicians but symbols of ambition, reinvention, pressure, identity, excess, and survival.
Michael’s success could open the floodgates for more large-scale biopics about artists whose lives were as dramatic as their music.
Here are some of our suggestions that deserve cinematic treatment.
JANET JACKSON
Growing up in the legendary Jackson family meant living under constant pressure and comparison, especially in the shadow of Michael Jackson. But during the era of her album Control, Janet Jackson transformed from the quiet younger sibling into a bold, independent artist determined to define herself on her own terms. Songs like “Nasty” and “Control” became declarations of independence, signalling not just a musical reinvention but the moment Janet stepped out of her family’s shadow and fully into her own power.
Janet Jackson
That newfound confidence became the foundation for the album Rhythm Nation 1814, where Janet expanded her focus beyond personal freedom into social consciousness and cultural responsibility. If Control was about finding her voice, Rhythm Nation was about using it to address inequality, racism, poverty, and injustice. Blending politically charged themes with groundbreaking choreography, industrial production, and socially aware visuals, Janet proved that pop music could be both commercially dominant and deeply meaningful.
A film could explore how Janet reinvented herself through these albums, blending political commentary with dance-pop. It could also examine the emotional cost of fame, the pressures of being a Jackson, and the aftermath of the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy that altered public perception of her career almost overnight.
Prince
A Prince biopic would be bold and risky. He was intensely private, deeply spiritual, mysterious, playful, and artistically fearless, and any attempt to portray him would need to embrace his surrealism.
Prince
The film could centre around his meteoric rise in Minneapolis, his creative explosion in the 1980s, and his battles with the music industry over ownership and artistic freedom when he changed his artist name to a symbol. His rivalry with Michael Jackson alone could provide extraordinary dramatic tension, as two geniuses competed for global dominance. Prince’s fluid presentation of masculinity, sexuality, and fashion also influenced pop culture.
BRITNEY SPEARS
Britney Spears’ story is arguably the defining celebrity tragedy of the 21st century. Her rise from a Southern small town to global superstar happened during the peak of tabloid culture, when paparazzi harassment and public humiliation became entertainment. A biopic about Britney would not simply be about music; it would be about media cruelty, exploitation, and survival.
Britney Spears
The film could chart her early years on The Mickey Mouse Club, her explosive breakthrough with “…Baby One More Time,” and the overwhelming pressure of becoming one of the most photographed women on Earth. It would inevitably confront her public breakdown, the conservatorship battle, and the eventual #FreeBritney movement that forced society to reconsider how female celebrities are treated.
DAVID BOWIE
David Bowie’s life feels designed for cinema because he constantly transformed himself into different characters. A Bowie biopic could be an artistic journey through his many identities, such as Ziggy Stardust, the Thin White Duke and the Berlin experimentalist.
David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust Cred: Alamy
The film could explore his complicated relationship with fame, his flirtation with isolation and excess during the 1970s, and his role in reshaping conversations around gender expression and creativity. Struggles of reported loneliness until he met and married model Imani. Bowie’s Berlin years alone could make an extraordinary film, showing an artist escaping the chaos of Los Angeles to reinvent himself in Europe while producing some of the most influential albums of his career.
MADONNA
Madonna’s life story contains many ingredients of a major Hollywood drama: ambition, controversy, reinvention, power, heartbreak, religion, sexuality, and business genius. She arrived in New York with almost nothing and transformed herself into one of the most influential entertainers in history.
Cred: alliance/Getty Images
A biopic could explore how she repeatedly challenged cultural norms across the 1980s and 1990s while enduring relentless criticism from political and religious institutions. It could also delve into her extraordinary understanding of branding – Madonna did not merely adapt to pop culture; she often controlled it. The latest update is that Madonna was previously in a deal with Universal. In her interview with Interview magazine, she revealed that the biopic was shelved due to disagreements over the budget. Hopefully, another studio will pick up the project soon.
USHER
For more than three decades, Usher has remained one of music’s most enduring stars, but his story is far more than a tale of sustained success.
A biopic would begin with his discovery as a teenage prodigy and his move to Atlanta, where he came under the guidance of industry figures, including Sean Combs. While his self-titled debut album introduced him to audiences, it failed to establish him as a major star, forcing him to rebuild his career almost from scratch. Rather than fading away, Usher spent years refining his craft, performing relentlessly and reconnecting with fans before linking up with Jermaine Dupri.
Usher
That partnership produced My Way, the breakthrough album that transformed him into one of R&B’s most exciting young talents. From there came 8701 and the blockbuster success of Confessions, one of the defining albums of the 2000s.
The film could also explore his highly publicised relationship with Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas, his marriage and divorce, the pressures of maintaining superstardom, and the career fluctuations that followed his commercial peak. More recently, his hugely successful Las Vegas residency sparked a new wave of popularity, leading to sold-out tours and proving his ability to remain culturally relevant across generations. At its heart, this would be a story about resilience, reinvention and longevity.
DAVIDO
Davido’s life story could become one of the defining music biopics of a generation, charting the rise of Afrobeats from a regional phenomenon to a global force.
Born into one of Nigeria’s wealthiest families, Davido faced unique pressures as the son of a powerful business dynasty. Rather than following the path expected of him, he chose music, pursuing a career many around him viewed as an unnecessary risk. His determination eventually led to the release of Omo Baba Olowo: The Genesis, a breakthrough project that introduced him as one of Nigeria’s brightest stars.
Davido
The film could follow his relentless efforts to take African music beyond the continent, building an international audience through hits, collaborations and strategic moves that helped push Afrobeats into the mainstream. His friendships and collaborations with global artists, including Chris Brown, would illustrate the growing influence of African music on the global stage.
Alongside the success, the story would explore the personal costs of fame, family expectations, public scrutiny and the devastating loss of his young son in 2022. By balancing triumph with tragedy, the film would capture both the rise of an artist and the rise of an entire musical movement.
MISSY ELLIOTT
A Missy Elliott biopic could be one of the most creative and visually ambitious music films ever made.
Long before she became a solo star, Missy was part of a young collective of aspiring musicians working under the mentorship of DeVante Swing. It was there that she formed her legendary creative partnership with Timbaland, a collaboration that would reshape the sound of hip-hop and R&B for decades.
Missy Elliot Credit: Gregory Bojorquez/Getty Images
The film could chart her rise from songwriter and producer to groundbreaking artist with albums such as Supa Dupa Fly, Miss E… So Addictive and Under Construction. It would also highlight her work behind the scenes, developing and producing for other artists, helping to shape the careers of numerous performers.
Beyond the music, the story could explore the challenges she faced as a woman operating in male-dominated spaces, her battle with Graves’ disease, and her eventual return to the spotlight after years away from the public eye. More than a story about fame, this would be a celebration of innovation and creative genius.
SADE
While many music biopics are driven by scandal, Sade’s story would be compelling because of what she chose to avoid.
The film could follow her journey from studying fashion in London to becoming the face and voice of one of the most distinctive bands in modern music. Albums such as Diamond Life and Promise established a sound that transcended genres and generations.
Sade
What makes her story unique is her determination to remain private despite enormous success. At a time when celebrity culture increasingly demanded constant visibility, Sade repeatedly stepped away from the spotlight, allowing the music to speak for itself. The tension between global fame and personal privacy would form the emotional core of the film, creating a portrait of an artist who succeeded by refusing to play by the industry’s rules.
VYBZ KARTEL
Few modern musicians have lived a story as dramatic as Vybz Kartel.
A biopic would trace his rise from Kingston’s dancehall scene to becoming one of the most influential and controversial figures in Caribbean music. Through projects such as Up 2 Di Time and a string of era-defining hits, Kartel transformed dancehall culture and became one of Jamaica’s most influential voices.
Vybz Kartel
The story would inevitably focus on the legal battles that altered the course of his life, his years behind bars and the extraordinary reality of maintaining cultural relevance while incarcerated. Even from prison, his influence continued to shape dancehall and inspire new generations of artists.
The emotional centre of the film could be his eventual release and return to a world that had changed dramatically during his absence. Reuniting with family, reconnecting with his children and attempting to rebuild his life would provide some of the most powerful moments in the story. Balancing controversy, cultural impact, and redemption would be essential to capturing the full complexity of his legacy.
DIZZEE RASCAL
If Hollywood is searching for an untold British music story, Dizzee Rascal may be the perfect candidate.
Raised in East London, Dizzee emerged from the pirate radio culture that helped give birth to grime, a genre that would become one of Britain’s most important musical exports. His breakthrough album, Boy in da Corner, captured the energy, frustration and ambition of a generation often overlooked by mainstream Britain.
Dizzee Rascal
A biopic could explore the challenges of navigating fame at a young age while carrying the expectations of an emerging movement. Winning the prestigious Mercury Prize at just 19 years old instantly elevated both Dizzee and grime into the national conversation.
The film would also serve as a portrait of early-2000s London, documenting pirate radio stations, youth culture and the creation of a uniquely British sound. More than the story of one artist, it would be the story of how grime forced its way from housing estates into the mainstream and changed British music forever.
Fingers crossed, hope the movie guys will take our suggestions. Who would you want to see, hopefully, get the biopic treatment? Comment below!
