Michael Jackson Concert Movie, 'This Is It,' Hits Theaters on Oct. 28

Aug. 20, 2009— -- A movie collecting footage of Michael Jackson as he rehearsed for his planned comeback concerts will have a two-week limited engagement in theaters starting Oct. 28 -- barely four months after the singer's death.

"This film is Michael's gift to his fans," read a statement by Kenny Ortega, who led the rehearsals and is directing the film, "This Is It." "As we began assembling the footage for the motion picture we realized we captured something extraordinary, unique and very special. It's a very private, exclusive look into a creative genius's world."

Jackson was scheduled to perform 50 sold-out concerts at London's O2 Arena, promoted by AEG Live, from July 13, 2009, to March 6, 2010. The "This Is It" concerts would have amounted to his first major concert series since his HIStory tour ended in 1997.

Footage of a rehearsal session shot just days before Jackson's June 25 death already has been released. The film will be drawn from more than 100 hours of behind-the-scenes footage taken from April to June of this year, including those final rehearsals, according to a press release from Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment.

The studio said the release date was moved up from its initial slot by two days to Oct. 28, and tickets will go on sale in most cities beginning Sept. 27.

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Sony paid a reported $60 million for rights to the film.

The 50-year-old Jackson rehearsed tirelessly in his final days -- at times overexerting himself in rehearsals, insiders told ABC News.

"I think he had a sense of timing that this was the time to do it," AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips said in an interview with ABC News' Chris Connelly. "He was always negotiating and renegotiating. And he was a character. He was our character."