Michael Jackson’s historic 1993 Super Bowl halftime show is getting a documentary. Hulu and ESPN announced Spectacle: Michael Jackson at the Super Bowl, which is set to explore “one of the most iconic live performances of all time and how the King of Pop paved the way for the Super Bowl to become one of the greatest cultural events in the world.”
The documentary will be released in February 2027. It will include never-before-seen footage of Jackson and his team rehearsing and prepping for the show, as well as the making of the show and its impacts to this day.
The King of Pop took the stage in Pasadena, California’s Rose Bowl on January 31 1993 to play at Super Bowl XXVII. Jackson shared the field with the Dallas Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills, though the halftime show was right up there with the action on the field.
Historically, Super Bowl half-time shows featured marching bands and themed performances. Jackson’s act set a template based on a ‘big-name singer, ‘ and polished production, dance choreography, and a visual feast for TV.
He began with a lengthy dramatic introduction then went into his set, which proved to be packed with a number of his well known hits. “Billie Jean”, “Black or White”, “Jam”, “We Are the World” and “Heal the World” were amongst the show.
The finale included a large children’s choir and conveyed a message of unity, adding an emotional layer to the performance beyond its choreography and production scale. The show illustrated how halftime could act as a major attraction on its own, rather than just a pause between the two halves of a football game.
The upcoming documentary will dive into the effort that went into Jackson’s performance and the choices that influenced the finished result. The description reads, “now, the filmmakers behind the new documentary will reveal the work that went into Jackson’s performance with unseen footage of Michael and his team.”
Produced and directed by Bao Nguyen (The Greatest Night in Pop, a documentary about the making of the 1985 charity single “We Are the World”) who has previously worked extensively with music history and archival footage, Nguyen is an ideal choice for a project centered on such a historically important live event.
The film is produced by Skydance Sports, Optimum Productions, and NFL Films, and combines teams with backgrounds in sports documentaries, music documentaries, and documentary production.
Jackson’s 1993 performance was seen as having set a new standard for future acts to match. The use of a widely renowned celebrity, dancing in a staged environment with large television audience signalled to the NFL that halftime entertainment was now a major consideration.
Over the next few years, stars like U2 Prince beyonc, bruce Springsteen and countless others performed to help cement the idea that the halftime act could get fans and even non-fans to watch.
The show later evolved into a big-budgeted entertainment spectacular with increasingly elaborate stage sets, visual effects and well-rehearsed performances. Jackson’s show is often credited with being a catalyst of that evolution, although later entries brought their own style and innovations to the mix.