Paris Jackson and Michael Jackson Estate at Odds Over Biopic: 'Meritless' Claims Fly

Paris Jackson is once again at odds with the co-executors of her late father Michael Jackson's estate, this time over the upcoming biopic, Michael. The singer and model has repeatedly criticized the film and the estate's management, sparking a heated exchange.

Paris has accused the executors of mismanaging funds, lacking transparency, and wasting estate resources. A particular point of contention is the biopic itself, which she considers a risky investment, especially given that estate funds are reportedly being used to finance a significant portion of the film. She also questioned the casting of Miles Teller (according to the Daily Mail).

Now, John Branca and John McClain, who have managed the estate since Michael Jackson's death in 2009, have responded to these accusations, dismissing them as "meritless."

According to court documents, McClain and Branca argue that Paris Jackson's claims are "a profound waste of the court’s time and, ironically, the estate’s money" (via Indulge Express).

Deadline further reports that they accuse Paris Jackson of demonstrating "a complete lack of understanding about how the motion picture industry works and the role of producers in it."

Jonathan Steinsapir, the executors' attorney, highlighted past successes, such as the 2009 documentary Michael Jackson: This is It, as examples of Branca and McClain's ability to generate profit from Michael Jackson-related projects.

According to Deadline, Paris and her legal team are also challenging Branca's alleged failure to acknowledge a 1994 agreement and $20 million settlement with Jordan Chandler's family. This agreement reportedly prohibited any depiction of the relationship between the then-underage Jordan Chandler and Michael Jackson, as well as the sexual abuse allegations.

This oversight allegedly led to the original biopic script including the Chandler allegations from Jackson's perspective, potentially violating the 1994 blackout clause and necessitating costly reshoots.

The co-executors' legal team has countered that Paris is responsible for "irrelevant and highly incendiary, personal attacks" and "false and frivolous objections."

They further claim that Paris will "continue to benefit substantially from the tireless work of the Executors" and has "already received roughly $65 million in benefits [and] stands to inherit many hundreds of millions of dollars more."

The lawyers representing McClain and Branca have accused Paris's legal team of "wanting to object for objections' sake" and of "playing media games by making headline-grabbing, yet false, accusations" (per the Daily Mail).

Paris's team has refuted the $65 million figure as "outright false" and accused the executors of leaving over $464 million earning less than 0.1 percent interest. They argue that this prioritizes the executors' interests over those of the beneficiaries and uses the estate for their own "enrichment and aggrandizement" (via Parade).

Last year, Colman Domingo stated that Jackson's children, Paris and Prince Jackson, were "very much in support" of the film. Paris quickly denied this, stating she had "zero per cent involvement" with the film.

In 2025, she filed a lawsuit alleging mismanagement of her inheritance, and earlier in 2026, she provided an update on her relationship with Colman Domingo following their public disagreement over the Michael biopic.

A new trailer and poster for the highly anticipated film were released last month, with the film scheduled to premiere on April 24.

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