Michael Jackson's nephew Jaafar is the spitting image of the King of Pop as he films new biopic

The filming of Michael Jackson ’s highly anticipated biopic is well underway.

Michael - which is set to be released next Spring - is set to star Michael’s nephew Jaafar Jackson as the King of Pop. Directed by Antoine Fuqua - who is known for his work in Training Day and The Replacement Killers - the movie is also set to star Miles Teller as the iconic musician’s lawyer John Branca, Colman Domingo as his father Joe Jackson, and Nia Long as his mother Katherine Jackson.

The hot biopic is currently filming scenes in Downtown Los Angeles and Jaafar has been spotted looking nearly identical to his late uncle in astonishing photos taken during filming. The 27-year-old budding actor looked like the near doppelganger of the Man in the Mirror as he stood on top of a car waving to fans, while dressed in military-inspired attire.

Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sport and entertainment stories.

READ MORE: 'I taught Michael Jackson the Moonwalk and this is what he taught me', says Shalamar's Jeffrey Daniel

In the image, Jaafar - who is the son of Jermaine Jackson and Alejandra Genevieve - can be seen grinning as he looks out to a crowd of admirers. Wearing a blue blazer adorned with gold buttons, paired with a pair of black trousers, the star finished off his look with a huge pair of dark sunglasses, emanating his uncle’s celebrity persona.

The picture was reminiscent of numerous infamous photos of the cultural icon, who died aged just 50 years old in 2009. The Thriller singer famously stood on top of his car and waved to a sea of fans as he left a Californian courthouse after his arraignment for child molestation charges - which he always denied - in 2004. An older photo of Michael on top of a car surrounded by a crowd of admirers was captured in 1985 as the singer arrived at the Madame Tussauds Waxwork Museum to unveil his waxwork.

Filming of the upcoming movie - which will focus on Michael’s incredible record-breaking four-decade-long career - was originally scheduled to begin in mid-2023 but had to be postponed due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. The project successfully started filming at the beginning of this year, and the movie is set to cost a whopping $120 million (£97 million) to make in total.

Follow Mirror Celebs on Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .