‘Michael’ Cast and Creators to Receive Gotham Musical Tribute

The 36th Annual Gotham Film Awards will honor the cast and creative team of "Michael" with the Gotham Musical Tribute on Nov. 30 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. The film, Antoine Fuqua's biopic of Michael Jackson, has grossed more than $1 billion globally.

It is only the second time the award will be given. Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson of "Song Sung Blue" received the inaugural tribute last year.

Director Antoine Fuqua will accept the honor alongside actors Colman Domingo, Jaafar Jackson and Nia Long, and producer Graham King. Jaafar Jackson plays his uncle Michael in the film, which traces the singer's path from The Jackson Five to global stardom, on stage and off.

"For our second Gotham Musical Tribute, we are delighted to honor these incredibly talented actors and filmmakers for bringing Michael Jackson's life, legend and music to the screen," said Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of the Gotham Film and Media Institute. "Their extraordinary work captures the humanity behind one of the world's most celebrated artists."

What does the tribute recognize?

The honor cites a film that has rewritten the record books for its genre. "Michael" is the highest-grossing biographical film of all time, and a sequel is currently in development.

The credited team extends beyond the honorees. Laura Harrier, Juliano Krue Valdi and Miles Teller also star. John Logan wrote the screenplay, and King produced with John Branca and John McClain.

The Gotham Musical Tribute remains a young category. Its first recipient, "Song Sung Blue," set the precedent of honoring film musicals and music-driven biopics whose ensembles carry the storytelling. This year's selection follows that logic: the award goes to the collective — director, cast and producers — rather than to a single performer.

Who else will the Gothams honor?

The Nov. 30 ceremony will distribute several other tribute awards:

• Gotham Director Tribute: Danny Boyle, for "Ink"
• Gotham Vanguard Tribute: "La Bola Negra"
• Gotham Anniversary Tribute: Laika Studios

Nominees for the competitive categories will be announced on Oct. 27, according to the Gotham Film and Media Institute.

For "Michael," the tribute arrives at a moment when the film's commercial footprint already dwarfs that of every predecessor in the biopic field, and the announced sequel signals that the studio sees more of the story to tell. The Gotham ceremony on Nov. 30 will give the film's creative team its first major awards-stage gathering since the picture crossed the billion-dollar threshold.