“Michael” rejected as comedy/musical at the Golden Globes Awards

The music of “Michael” brings drama.

Variety has confirmed that Lionsgate’s bid to have its Michael Jackson biopic compete as a comedy or musical at the Golden Globes has been denied. News of the decision was first reported by Gold Derby.

The Golden Globes’ decision means the film, starring Jaafar Jackson as the King of Pop, is currently slated for the drama categories where it will compete for one of six available spots against Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” Los Javis’ “La Bola Negra” and more. The supporting actor and actress categories are not separated by gender, so this has no effect on his co-stars Colman Domingo and Nia Long.

Lionsgate can appeal the decision before the October 31 submission deadline. If the studio moves forward, the organization’s awards committee will evaluate the appeal. According to the Golden Globes rules, it says: “A musical may be a comedy or a drama in which songs are used in addition to spoken dialogue to advance the plot. »

Under Globes procedure, when a film is submitted in a category that goes against the grain, or in which it would not generally be accepted, a letter from the director is required to proceed. That letter, from “Michael” director Antoine Fuqua, was included in the studio’s submission. The organization reviewed the request and still denied it. An appeal may still be possible before the Oct. 31 submission deadline, but sources said it would likely not be pursued. Lionsgate declined to comment.

Musical biopics have long been difficult to rank at the Globes. “Ray” and “Walk the Line” both competed and won in the comedy or musical categories in the mid-2000s. These victories led to a rule change requiring songs to propel the narrative rather than appearing as standalone performances. In other words, music alone is no longer enough to qualify a film as a musical. By that standard, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Elvis,” and “A Complete Unknown” were all billed as dramas in the years that followed. One notable exception: “Inside Llewyn Davis,” the Coen brothers’ story about a folk singer struggling for success in 1961, was allowed to compete as a comedy in its respective year.

This same distinction seems to have decided the fate of “Michael”. Jackson performs several of his uncle’s biggest hits in the film. Yet the organization clearly viewed these sequences as recreations of Michael Jackson’s performances rather than as storytelling devices in their own right.

Fuqua’s film, released April 24, became the first biopic in history to surpass $1 billion at the worldwide box office and is Lionsgate’s biggest release ever. It also made Jaafar Jackson a star, who had never played professionally before.

The decision does not affect the Globes’ broader slate of classification decisions. The awards ceremony accepted both “Obsession” and “Tender Loving Care” as comedies for consideration.

The 84th Golden Globes nominations will be announced on Monday, December 7, and the ceremony, hosted by Nikki Glaser, is scheduled for Sunday, January 10.

Best Film (Drama)
“Artificial” (Neon)
“Dune: Part Three” (Warner Bros.)
“Fjord” (Neon)
“La Bola Negra” (Netflix)
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures) ***
“Wild wood” (Laïka)

Best film (comedy or musical)
“Club Kid” (A24)
“The beginnings” (A24)
“The Invitation” (A24)
“Hail Mary Project” (Amazon MGM Studios)
“Tender Loving Care” (Bleecker Street)
“Wild Horse Nine” (Searchlight Pictures) ***

Actor (Drama)
Matt Damon, “The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures)
Anthony Ippolito, “I Play Rocky” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Jaafar Jackson, “Michael” (Lionsgate)
Pedro Pascal, “Behemoth! » (Projector photos)
Andrew Scott, “Elsinore” (Focus Features) ***
John Turturro, “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Actor (comedy or musical)
Tom Cruise, “Digger” (Warner Bros.)
Ryan Gosling, “Hail Mary Project” (Amazon MGM Studios)
John Malkovich, “Wild Horse Nine” (Searchlight Pictures) ***
Robert Pattinson, “The Drama” (A24)
Brad Pitt, “The Further Misadventures of Cliff Booth” (Netflix)
Seth Rogen, “The Invitation” (A24)

Actress (Drama)
Emily Blunt, “Disclosure Day” (Universal Pictures)
Jeon Do-yeon, “Possible Love” (Netflix)
Rosalind Eleazar, “Misty Green” (A24)
Sandra Hüller, “Rose” (Mubi) ***
Ruth Madeley, “Being Heumann” (Apple Original Films)
Renate Reinsve, “Fjord” (Neon)

Actress (comedy or musical)
Marion Bailey, “Tender Loving Care” (Bleecker Street)
Olivia Colman, “Wicker” (Black Bear Pictures)
Julianne Moore, “The Beginnings” (A24) ***
Inde Navarrette, “Obsession” (Focus Features)
Olivia Wilde, “The Invitation” (A24)
Zendaya, “The Drama” (A24)

Supporting actor
Colman Domingo, “Michael” (Lionsgate)
Andrew Garfield, “Artificial” (Neon) ***
Guitarricadelafuente, “La Bola Negra” (Netflix)
Paul Giamatti, “The beginnings” (A24)
John Leguizamo, “The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures)
Sam Rockwell, “Wild Horse Nine” (Searchlight Pictures)

Supporting actress
Penélope Cruz, “The Invitation” (A24)
Anne Hathaway, “The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures) ***
Sandra Hüller, “Hail Mary Project” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Scarlett Johansson, “Paper Tiger” (Neon)
Samantha Morton, “The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures)
Kate O’Flynn, “Tender Loving Care” (Bleecker Street)

Director
Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, “La Bola Negra” (Netflix)
Phil Lord and Chris Miller, “Hail Mary Project” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Martin McDonagh, “Wild Horse Nine” (Searchlight Pictures)
Christopher Nolan, “The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures)
Denis Villeneuve, “Dune: Part Three” (Warner Bros.) ***
Olivia Wilde, “The Invitation” (A24)

Scenario
“The Beginnings” (A24) – Jesse Eisenberg
“The Invitation” (A24) – Rashida Jones and Will McCormack
“La Bola Negra” (Netflix) – Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo, Alberto Conejero
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures) – Christopher Nolan
“Tender Loving Care” (Bleecker Street) – Mike Leigh
“Wild Horse Nine” (Searchlight Pictures) – Martin McDonagh ***

Original music
“Monster!” (Searchlight Pictures) — The Behemoth! Collective
“Dune: Part Three” (Warner Bros.) – Hans Zimmer
“La Bola Negra” (Netflix) — Raül Refree
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures) – Ludwig Göransson
“Hail Mary Project” (Amazon MGM Studios) – Daniel Pemberton ***
“Wild Wood” (Laika) – Dario Marianelli

Original song
“The Beginnings” (A24) – “This town may have chewed me up (but it didn’t spit me out)” (Jesse Eisenberg)
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” (20th Century Studios) – “Woman Shape” (Lady Gaga)
“La Bola Negra” (Netflix) — “La Nieve” (Guitarricadelafuente and Raül Refree)
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures) – “When I’m Home” (James Blake and Travis Scott)
“Primetime” (A24) – “On video” (Phoebe Bridgers)
“Toy Story 5” (Pixar) – “I knew it, I knew you” (Taylor Swift) ***

Animated feature
“Hoppers” (Pixar)
“Iron Boy” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Ray Gunn” (Netflix)
“Tangles” (Independent Film Company)
“Toy Story 5” (Pixar)
“Wild wood” (Laïka) ***

International characteristic
“Fjord” of Romania (Neon)
“Godzilla Minus Zero” from Japan (GKids)
“La Bola Negra” from Spain (Netflix) ***
“Minotaur” from France (Mubi)
South Korea’s “Possible Love” (Netflix)
“Rose” of Austria (Mubi)

Box office and film production
“Behind the scenes” (A24)
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” (20th Century Studios)
“Michael” (Lionsgate)
“Obsession” (targeted features)
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures) ***
“Hail Mary Project” (Amazon MGM Studios)
“Spider-Man: A Whole New Day” (Sony Pictures)
“Toy Story 5” (Pixar)

Variety parent company Penske Media Corporation owns Golden Globes producer Dick Clark Prods. in joint venture with Eldridge.