Jaafar Jackson is a Spitting Image of Late Uncle Michael Jackson in 'Thriller' Music Video

Jaafar Jackson, the nephew of late pop star Michael Jackson, channeled his uncle's look from his Thriller music video for the biopic, and the resemblance is uncanny. The 27-year-old singer and dancer sported the same look from the smashing hit song from 1982 for Antoine Fuqua's upcoming biopic on the "King of Pop." The 27-year-old sported the iconic red leather jacket and matching red pants with linear black accents. Also, he rocked the same mullet hairstyle as Michael did back then, along with white socks and black loafers channeling the signature look of his deceased uncle. 

The young man was spotted filming the video for the film, in behind-the-scenes photos from the Los Angeles set, as per The Sun. Jaafar, the son of late pop star's brother Jermaine Jackson, is playing the lead in the biopic Michael. The nephew is all set to bring back his uncle's legacy on the big screen and the snaps that were captured on Friday, May 24, 2024, showcased his flawless transformation as Michael to recreate the nearly 14-minute-long musical horror film. 

The behind-the-scenes photographers also showed the unidentified actress who is playing Ola Ray (Michael's unsuspecting date in the video) alongside Jaafar. The unknown star appeared equally convincing portraying Ray's character from the 80's in the same ensemble from head-to-toe. 

As far as the iconic choreography of the song goes, Rita Moreno, the famous Puerto Rican singer and dancer, told PEOPLE, "I love to tell the story. [Michael] told me one day that I was a huge favorite of his, [in this] tiny little voice. And he said, 'I've always loved your dancing, and I copied some of the steps,' and sure enough when I saw Thriller, I saw some of the steps from 'America.'" "Oh he loved, he loved 'America,'" Moreno added. "He just loved the choreography. He was influenced by [West Side Story choreographer] Jerome Robbins. Oh, very much. Very much." 

The director Fuqua was in awe of Jaafar's ability to emulate his uncle and he was 'blown away' by the resemblance, "It's uncanny how much he's like Michael. Sounds like him, dances like him, sings. It's really uncanny," as per Entertainment Weekly. "Graham King, who is a fantastic producer, found him, and introduced him to me, and I was blown away." 

Michael is going to be a star-studded affair with Jaafar playing the lead, along with Kat Graham as Diana Ross, Jessica Sula as La Toya Jackson, Liv Symone as Gladys Knight, Kendrick Sampson as Quincy Jones, Miles Teller as John Branca, Colman Domingo as Jackson family patriarch Joe Jackson. 

Fuqua promised to tell the story 'as we know it.' He shared his approach to showcasing Michael's troublesome life including child sexual abuse allegations during the 1990s, "Just to tell the facts as we know it, about the artist, about the man, about the human being. You know, the good, bad, and the ugly." The film will feature a screenplay by John Logan, who penned Skyfall, Gladiator, and The Aviator. The biopic marks the young Jaafar's first major film role.

This article originally appeared on 5.27.24.