A film about Michael Jackson has become the highest-grossing music biopic opening in history, and the lawyer who helped build the pop star's business empire is central to telling that story. Antoine Fuqua's Michael earned $97 million domestically and $217 million worldwide in its debut weekend, nearly doubling industry projections and surpassing previous records set by Bohemian Rhapsody and Straight Outta Compton. Jaafar Jackson, the singer's nephew, stars in the title role. Miles Teller portrays John Branca, the entertainment attorney who guided Jackson's finances for nearly three decades. Branca began representing Jackson in 1980. Among his first moves was securing the singer's ownership of his master recordings, rights Jackson did not hold at the time. When record label executives balked at the cost of the "Thriller" music video, Branca helped arrange financing to get it made. He then pressured MTV alongside CBS Records to air Jackson's work at a time when the network gave Black artists little airtime.…