Michael Jackson’s family are preparing for a huge year, with the release of biopic “Michael” which they hope will canonize his sometimes-difficult legacy.
Expected to be on the red carpet for its April premiere are Michael’s children: Prince, Bigi and the ever-glamorous Paris, posing together.
But for that to happen, a race is on to bring Paris, 27, back in line with her brothers. In recent months she has been torn apart from them by her startling court claims against their own estate, accusing them of mis-managing the family’s $2 billion assets.
Sources say elder brother Prince, 28, who is usually calm and cautious, is increasingly frustrated behind closed doors, and keen to heal the rift.
As executive producer on “Michael,” he has privately expressed concern Paris’ legal crusade could distract from the film and that it feeds the same narrative that haunted their father for decades: That the family is not united, jealousy prevails and their hard work could be undermined by short-term spectacle.
“He feels like she’s adding to the dysfunction label the family has always carried,” a source said.
“He wants the focus on the movie and their father’s achievements, not headlines about internal fighting.”
The movie is certainly a family affair, starring Michael’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, 29, as the pop legend.
The Jackson estate pays Paris, Prince and Bigi, 23, around $3.8 million a year each, according to previous court filings.
Neither of the brothers have complaints about how the estate, which has been looked after by executors John Branca and John McClain since Michael death, have been handling the estate.
Both executors are listed as producers on the movie and Branca is portrayed in it, by none less than A-lister Miles Teller.
Still, those close to Prince say he remains conflicted. “Prince is starting to lose a little patience … He loves his sister and doesn’t want to come down on her too hard,” a source said.
“But he’s scared of what this does to her, to the family, and to their father’s name. Bigi feels the same way. They just wish she would stop.”
However, Prince is also hesitant to push Paris too hard. He knows better than anyone how fragile she can be after her teenage years of admitted drug and alcohol abuse, self-harm and attempted suicide. Although she is now more than six years sober, sources say he doesn’t take anything for granted.
A family insider told the Post. “He’s tried to tread lightly because of everything Paris has been through, especially with sobriety. But he’s also watching her keep going after the estate that literally funds her life.”
Paris first filed a legal challenge last year, demanding retroactive explanations for attorney payments made between 2019 and 2023 and accusing the executors of delayed or misleading disclosures.
In November 2025, retired Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff, acting as a judicial referee, ruled against her, leaving her on the hook for $115,000 in legal fees.
Sources close to the estate stress the executors are not demanding money from Paris. The court ordered the estate to submit its costs after her attorneys lost the motion, and the executors complied.
“The estate didn’t send her a bill,” a person close to the estate told the Post. “The judge asked for the numbers, so the estate’s lawyers submitted them.”
A Jan. 9, 2026 filing breaks down the requested costs. The estate reports $93,925 in attorneys’ fees tied to the anti-SLAPP motion, $1,138 in costs, $12,392 for preparing the fee request, and an estimated $7,900 for additional briefing and a hearing scheduled for March 11.
Jonathan Steinsapir of Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir LLP reported billing $900 per hour, with other partners billing between $725 and $875. Jeryll S. Cohen of Saul Ewing LLP billed 21 hours at $875 per hour, totaling $18,375.
For those close to the estate, the dollar figure is beside the point.
“She gets about $63 million a year because of what the estate has accomplished,” a source said. “This is chump change. And again, the estate didn’t ask for it. The court did.”
The court filings made on Paris’ behalf have different figures. They have claimed the executors garnered more than $10 million in compensation from the estate in 2021 alone.
That amount was “more than double the amount distributed to any beneficiary from the family allowance,” according to the filing.
Paris also claimed the executors’ total compensation since Michael’s June 2009 death “dwarfs any amount distributed to Paris or her siblings.”
In the filing, the “Let Down” singer claimed the executors are holding onto more than $464 million in cash, but due to “unproductive investments,” they have gained less than 0.1%
However, those close to the estate describe things a different way.
“Killing the cash cow, poking the bear,” one relative said of Paris’ legal strategy.
“Michael died $500 million in debt. The executors turned that into a $2 billion empire. Not sure he would have wanted this.”
Sources also point out that licensing “MJ The Musical” worldwide has been a big hit, making tens of millions for the estate, and the new biopic is expected to follow suit.
The timing of Paris’ legal filings has also heightened tensions because the estate is locked in another legal battle with the Cascio siblings, who allege sexual abuse against Michael and are seeking to have a 2020 legal agreement they made with the estate nullified.
A judge recently issued a tentative ruling favoring the estate and compelling arbitration.
Against that backdrop, insiders say Prince has drawn a line.
“He’s made it clear he doesn’t want another dime going to people who accused his father after he was acquitted in criminal court,” one family insider said.
The movie “Michael” was originally reported to have a $155 million production budget, but had to re-shoot much of its third part after filming originally wrapped in 2024, when it emerged a legal agreement with one of his one-time sexual abuse accusers had been violated.
Eagle-eyed insiders have also noted to The Post there seems to be someone else behind Paris’ filings other than herself.
“Clearly, there are family members who have opposed this estate from day one, and some who haven’t given up trying to upset the apple cart,” a source close to the Jacksons previously told the Post.
Curiously, in 2022, similar claims emerged, when Jackson family matriarch Katherine, 95, suddenly filed against the estate claiming Michael would have objected to the $600m sale of his music catalogue to Sony. That was later denied on appeal, with the court ruling Michael’s will made it clear his music could be sold.