He wants critics to beat it.
Miles Teller is defending the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, proclaiming that the late singer should get his own movie “regardless” of what critics think.
“You only get so many opportunities in this business to make films,” Teller, 37, told Variety during the Vanity Fair Oscars party. “I’m really excited to be a part of it. I think it’s going to blow people away.”
The “Top Gun: Maverick” star is slated to play Jackson’s former manager, John Branca, in the movie. He noted that he took into account the allegations of child sex abuse made against Jackson before signing on.
“I think you just try to inundate yourself with as much information as you can,” he told the outlet.
Teller spent time with Branca, 73, to better understand him for the role.
“I’ve gotten to hang out with him a little bit,” the “Whiplash” star said. “I mean, it’s really it’s an incredible team involved.”
Director Antoine Fuqua is behind the project alongside producer Graham King.
Despite the negative stigma surrounding Jackson, who died at 50 in 2009, Teller believes the “Thriller” singer deserves to have his story told.
“Regardless of what you know or what your opinion may be, Michael is one of the greatest to ever do it, if not the greatest,” he said. “He deserves a movie, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
He added: “I just like being a part of the team if you come from theater; I think the word ensemble means a lot.”
It was announced in January 2023 that King, 62, and Fuqua, 58, would be collaborating on the project after the film was cleared by the late singer’s estate in 2019.
“The first films of my career were music videos, and I still feel that combining film and music are a deep part of who I am,” Fuqua told Deadline at the time. “For me, there is no artist with the power, the charisma, and the sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson.
“I was influenced to make music videos by watching his work — the first black artist to play in heavy rotation on MTV,” he continued. “His music and those images are part of my worldview, and the chance to tell his story on the screen alongside his music was irresistible.”
King, who is well-known for his “Bohemian Rhapsody” biopic, gushed over how Fuqua “will make an exceptional and compelling film that will both celebrate and give profound new insights into the life of the King of Pop.”
Later that month, it was announced that Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar, would star as his late uncle.
“I’m humbled and honored to bring my Uncle Michael’s story to life,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “To all the fans all over the world, I’ll see you soon.”
Joining Jaafar, 27, in the film — which has since been titled “Michael” — is 2024 Oscar nominee Colman Domingo as Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson, Nia Long as his mother Katherine, and Juliano Krue Valdi will portray a younger version of the Grammy winner.
The biopic is described as “a riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant yet complicated man who became the King of Pop.”
“Michael” is set to moonwalk into theaters April 18, 2025.
