The veteran actor Colman Domingo has a long, distinguished resume, both onstage and onscreen. In recent years, Domingo has been extremely busy, winning acclaim for his roles in Euphoria, If Beale Street Could Talk, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Zola, and The Color Purple. Domingo recently nabbed his first Oscar nomination; he’s up for Best Actor for playing the title character in the biopic Rustin. Now, for his next act, Domingo will play important roles in two upcoming music biopics.

Training Day auteur Antoine Fuqua is directing the forthcoming movie Michael, and Michael’s nephew Jaafar Jackson is playing his uncle. The film is being made with the partnership of Jackson’s estate, and the production is facing plenty of scrutiny over how it will address the many abuse accusations against Jackson. Dan Reed, director of the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, has already said that Michael “will glorify a man who raped children.”

Joe Jackson, Michael’s father, was a famously domineering figure; he died in 2018 at the age of 89. Domingo tells The Hollywood Reporter, “Not only am I fortunate to have a rich, complex and flawed character to portray in Joe Jackson, but I also have a front row seat for Jaafar’s incredible transformation. After seeing him in rehearsal, my mind was blown. There is something divine about the way that Jaafar is channeling his late uncle. His talent and embodiment of Michael’s essence is simply on another level.”

Meanwhile, Variety reports that Domingo will also direct and star in a new biopic about Nat King Cole. Domingo co-wrote the scripts, and he tells Variety, “I’ve been working on it quietly for a few years. It’s something I’m looking forward to putting together with some great partners.” Domingo has already worked to tell Cole’s life story, co-writing the play Lights Out: Nat King Cole with Patricia McGregor.