Bam Adebayo, Travis Hunter and more athletes react to Michael film

From the NBA to the NFL, several athletes could not contain their excitement when it came to Michael Jackson’s new biopic.

Michael was released in theaters on April 24, and prior to it being released to the general public, several stars walked the red carpet in Los Angeles to get a first look at the film. The self-titled production follows the King of Pop from his early days in Gary, Indiana, where he began his first group with his brothers, the Jackson 5. The group included Michael and his older brothers: Jackie, Tito, Marlon, and Jermaine. After much success in the family band, Michael made his own lane as a solo artist, where he rose to heights much larger than life. The film shows the beginning makings of his solo career with albums, Off the Wall and Thriller.

Michael director Antoine Fuqua shared the difference that he wanted to make with the film by showcasing a different side of the music icon.

“I wanted to humanize Michael. I wanted people to get to know him: How eccentric he was, how he was as a young man,” Fuqua told Deadline. “I always felt that younger generations didn’t know Michael or his story. In order to tell anything about Michael, you had to remind people about the magic of him, the power of the music, and the fun that he brought into the world, and his own insecurities. He’s one of the most complex characters to tell a story about. My approach was to ground him as much as we can, so that he’s relatable to anyone outside of being on that stage.”

Michael is played by his nephew, Jaafar Jackson, the son of Jermaine. The film also stars Colman Domingo (Joe Jackson), Nia Long (Katherine Jackson), Miles Teller (John Branca), Laura Harrier (Suzanne de Passe), Kendrick Sampson (Quincy Jones), Jessica Sula (LaToya Jackson), and more.

Take a look at some of the reactions from the sports world below:

Bam Adebayo