‘Michael’ Star Juliano Valdi Says He Hopes To Play Miles Morales

Juliano Valdi, the child actor who portrayed a young Michael Jackson in the recent record-breaking biopic Michael, revealed that his dream role in the future will be that of Miles Morales in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“I’m getting to the age where I really wanna play Miles Morales, so hopefully I can do that,” Valdi told Entertainment Weekly. “I’m not 15 yet, but I would love to hop in the MCU.”

Valdi, who’s 12, will be starting the seventh grade this fall.

Valdi revealed that his interest in Miles Morales is not something new. He remembered watching the 2002 Spider-Man movie with Tobey Maguire and considering it the best action movie he had ever seen, and added that his mother claims he looks like Miles.

Valdi made his acting debut in Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua and released in April. The movie depicts approximately the first 30 years of Michael Jackson’s life and starts with Valdi playing the young singer in the Jackson 5 era until Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson takes the adult version of the character. The two actors don’t appear together in the movie.

Michael became the first biopic to gross more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Valdi got the role in January 2024 after videos featuring him performing the Jackson dances went viral online, Variety reported, becoming the first publication to reveal the news.

The movie received positive reviews from some of Jackson’s colleagues. Valdi revealed that Stevie Wonder praised his acting in the Los Angeles premiere of the movie held in April, which Valdi called a complete feeling.

Miles Morales, the Afro-Latino teenager from Brooklyn, was created in 2011 by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli. The character has been voiced by Shameik Moore in the animated Spider-Verse movies by Sony Pictures and has never appeared in live action before.

It might change soon. In July, Kevin Feige, the President of Marvel Studios, said that the studio plans to introduce Morales in live action after the conclusion of the Sony animated trilogy, Deadline reported, citing his comments to Watching Hollywood. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is set to premiere on June 18, 2027.

Tom Holland, who reprised the role of Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31, wants to play a part in the introduction of the character. He told the Associated Press that he would like to mentor whoever will play the character, just like Robert Downey Jr. did for him, and that it would be a proper way to end his career as Spider-Man.

No casting announcements, director, or premiere date have been made regarding any live-action Miles Morales movie by Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures. Neither studio commented on Valdi.

Michael is currently streaming on Starz and available for purchase on digital and 4K.