Michael Jackson’s Unproduced Superhero Movie Was His Personal Answer to ‘Batman'

As the biggest music superstar of the ‘80s, Michael Jackson dominated the Billboard charts and starred in groundbreaking videos that made the airwaves of early MTV. However, matinée idol status forever eluded the King of Pop. Neither his role as the Scarecrow in The Wiz nor his vanity feature film Moonwalker elevated Jackson to rival his peers Prince and Madonna, both of whom found success on the big screen.

Though many film concepts were considered star vehicles for Jackson only to go unproduced, one such idea nearly made it to the screen: Sony’s MidKnight. This was not an adaptation of any Marvel or DC Comics superhero. MidKnight was to be the King of Pop’s answer to 1989’s Batman, featuring several behind-the-scenes alumni from Tim Burton’s blockbuster smash hit. With Jackson’s star power at an all-time high by the early ‘90s, MidKnight had the potential to be a cinematic event for the decade. Unfortunately, real-world circumstances forced MidKnight into obscurity.

What Was ‘MidKnight’ About?

Image via Greg Hildebrandt.

According to the book Hit & Run by Kim Masters and Nancy Griffin, Jackson was in a contentious relationship with his label, Epic Records, in 1989 after his Bad album fell short of topping the sales of his 1982 landmark success, Thriller. Upon Sony finalizing their acquisition of the label as well as Columbia Pictures in 1989, Batman producers-turned-studio heads Jon Peters and Peter Gruber were eager to push a potential film career for Jackson as a roundabout way to keep him making records for his longtime label. Though there were efforts by other studios to make movies with Jackson, including a live-action Peter Pan adaptation by Steven Spielberg, the industry at large was detracted by the music icon’s eccentricities and evolving appearance in public.

As part of Jackson’s new lucrative deal with Sony in late 1989, the King of Pop was set to star in the fantasy superhero project in 1991 overseen by Peters. Described as an action movie with his signature music, Jackson was set to play “a meek young man by day—turned singing and dancing hero at the stroke of midnight.” Caroline Thompson, the screenwriter of Edward Scissorhands, recalled her involvement in the writing process of MidKnight in an interview with Vice, as Jackson’s love for the Burton drama led to her hiring alongside Beetlejuice’s Larry Wilson. Having reservations about Jackson’s acting abilities, Thompson conceived the idea of putting his superhero alter-ego in a helmet because “a knight usually wears a helmet mask, and we wanted to cover up Michael’s face because we thought a film audience wouldn’t take him seriously as an actor.” Another Batman alumnus, production designer Anton Furst, was handpicked by Jackson and Peters to make his directorial debut.

Performer Michael Jackson in dark glasses with his hair blowing in his face, against a backdrop of falling stars and film reel.

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Jackson was in the middle of recording the Dangerous album while MidKnight was in early development. Thompson recounted that her interactions with the King of Pop were little about the project and more about touring the sights of Neverland Ranch. The project got as far as Thompson and Wilson completing the script, concept artwork being created by Star Wars artist Greg Hildebrandt, and plans for groundbreaking visual effects involving the character’s laser eyes using cutting-edge technology from Sony. Even with all these plans in motion, MidKnight suffered a series of roadblocks preventing a single frame from being filmed.

Scandal and Death Unfortunately Deep-Sixed Jackson’s ‘MidKnight’

Despite the promise of a potential blockbuster for Jackson and Sony, MidKnight fell apart due to business, scandal, and tragedy. Furst was reportedly unhappy with Thompson and Wilson’s screenplay which the former attributed to the artist’s lack of self-confidence as a filmmaker. Furst’s addiction to drugs and alcohol led to his tragic suicide in November 1991. During that same period, Peters and Gruber would leave their executive positions at Sony in late 1991 as their relationship with the parent company fractured. Though MidKnight could have soldiered on without the team behind the scenes, the star found himself at the center of a scandal. In 1993, Jackson was embroiled in allegations of child molestation that put film projects like MidKnight as well as his sponsorship deals on hold or canceled outright. By this time, there were few allies in Jackson’s corner to make his film career a reality. The project was rarely spoken about again until after Jackson’s passing in 2009.

MidKnight remains a fascinating episode in the historic life of the King of Pop, who is set to have his story told in Antoine Fuqua’s Michael biopic in 2026. Perhaps a more reliable director like Burton or Spielberg could have pushed MidKnight into production with a confident vision and a collaborative effort with the legendary artist rather than a novice director with personal issues. While Jackson never found true success on the big screen, his legacy remains enshrined forever through his unforgettable music videos.