The Encino streets where grew up and lived have become the set for a major Hollywood biopic.
The Michael Jackson biopic 'Michael' filmed at two Encino locations: the Hayvenhurst Estate where Jackson lived and his nephew Jaafar Jackson grew up, and an Enfield Avenue bungalow that stood in for the family's Gary, Indiana home.
The Encino streets where grew up and lived have become the set for a major Hollywood biopic.
The film "Michael", directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role, shot scenes at two Encino locations: the Hayvenhurst Estate and a bungalow on Enfield Avenue.
The biopic opened in theaters on April 24, 2026. It chronicles Jackson's rise to fame with The Jackson 5 through the peak of his solo career in 1988.
The Hayvenhurst Estate at 4641 Hayvenhurst Avenue served as the Jackson family home in the film. Joe Jackson purchased the property in 1971 as The Jackson 5's fame was rising, according to People magazine.
Michael moved out of Hayvenhurst in 1988 when he bought the Neverland Ranch. But the property remained a Jackson family residence. After Michael's death in 2009, his three children — Prince, Paris, and Bigi — moved to Hayvenhurst to be raised by their grandmother, Katherine Jackson.
Jaafar Jackson, who plays his uncle in the film, also grew up at Hayvenhurst for 15 years with Katherine after his parents, Jermaine Jackson and Alejandra Oaziaza, separated in 2004.
"Shooting at Hayvenhurst, there were so many things going on in my head while trying to be present," Jaafar told Interview Magazine in February 2026. "Past memories of seeing my grandpa in that same chair he was sitting in, or the same chain he was wearing, and then seeing Nia as my grandmother, having that love and that passion and those little subtleties that really make her who she is, it was very emotional."
Jaafar said he slept in different rooms at the estate to prepare for the role.
"I slept in many different rooms in the house just to feel the energy," he said. "Staying there allowed that to happen without forcing it. I was so fortunate to have that as my playground. Without that, I don't think it my performance would be what it is, honestly."
The film's opening scenes depict the Jackson family's modest home in Gary, Indiana during the late 1960s. The production used a bungalow at 5785 Enfield Avenue at the corner of Hatteras Street in Encino as a stand-in, according to Movie Locations.
The crew had to remove two large palm trees from the property to disguise its Southern California setting. The bungalow sits just a few miles southeast of Hayvenhurst.
While Encino provided the Jackson family's domestic settings, the production filmed at several other California landmarks:
The film features a notable supporting cast:
The film ends in 1988, the year Michael purchased Neverland. According to Movie Locations, the decision to stop at that point leaves the story feeling like "Part One of a two-part movie."
Several scenes filmed at Neverland, including a depiction of a 1993 police raid, were reportedly cut after the filmmakers discovered a restriction in Michael's $15 million settlement with Jordan Chandler, a boy who accused Michael of abuse. The settlement reportedly prohibited Chandler and his family from being mentioned or dramatized in any film.
Michael Jackson denied all wrongdoing in the abuse allegations. He was acquitted of all charges in a 2005 criminal trial.
This article was generated with AI assistance.