10 Casting Choices That Will Make Or Break Upcoming Movies

Putting aside the concerns over how this estate-endorsed Michael Jackson biopic will weather the sexual abuse allegations levelled against the late singer, it's a film which will live or die on the persuasiveness of its central performance.

Jackson is such a statuesque pop-culture figure that only a handful of actors could likely ever pull off a dazzling portrayal, and in a move that's either inspired or doomed from the jump, Jackson's 27-year-old nephew Jaafar was ultimately cast in the role.

The few images of Jackson released so far certainly confirm that he bares an uncanny resemblance to his uncle, though nailing the physicality, the nuances of his movement, and of course his unmistakable voice will be decidedly more challenging.

Above all else, is Jaafar - who has no other acting credits to his name - capable of delivering a genuine dramatic performance beyond a feat of mere mimicry?

The entire movie rests on how well he succeeds at this, and given how basically the entire world is incredibly familiar with Jackson's essence, he's going to be under intense scrutiny throughout.