MICHAEL JACKSON is heading to the big screen sooner than expected - movie bosses are pushing the release date of the KING OF POP movie up by two days.

The pop superstar was due to kickstart a 50-date residency in London as part of his This Is It residency in July (09), but he died on 25 June (09), just weeks before he was scheduled to make his live comeback.

Now a behind-the-scenes film featuring rehearsal footage of Jackson working with dancers, choreographers and special-effects experts is due to hit cinemas worldwide on 28 October (09) - two days sooner than the scheduled release.

Fans will have a very short period to catch the movie in theatres - bosses at film studio Sony, who paid $60 million (£40 million) for the film rights, have announced a limited release of just two weeks.

But director Kenny Ortega, who was choreographing This Is It, is confident cinemagoers will be impressed by the film.

He says, “This film is Michael’s gift to his fans. It’s a very private, exclusive look into a creative genius’s world. For the first time ever, fans will see Michael as they have never seen him before - this great artist at work.

“It is raw, emotional, moving and powerful footage that captures his interactions with the This Is It collaborators that he had personally assembled for this once in a lifetime project.”