Michael Jackson fans will not get to see actress Kat Graham portray Diana Ross in forthcoming biopic Michael.
Graham took to social media Thursday to confirm that the scenes she filmed as the legendary Supremes singer did not end up in the final version of the Lionsgate feature due to “certain legal considerations.” Hitting theaters Friday, director Antoine Fuqua’s biopic stars Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson as the pop music superstar, with Colman Domingo playing his father, Joe Jackson, and Nia Long as mother Katherine. Miles Teller, Laura Harrier and Larenz Tate round out the cast.
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“Ahead of the April 24 release of the Michael Jackson film, I want to share that certain legal considerations affected a few scenes, including ones I filmed with an incredible cast,” Graham posted to X. “Unfortunately, these moments are no longer part of the final cut, though the team worked hard to preserve as much of the story as possible.”
THR previously reported that an initial, longer version of the movie was set to feature scenes showing Jackson dealing with child sexual abuse allegations. The third act included a portrayal of an accuser whose past settlement with the performer’s estate stipulated that he would never be dramatized, leading the film to be retooled. A second movie focusing on the latter portion of Jackson’s life prior to his 2009 death has been in development from Lionsgate.
Jackson shared a close relationship with Ross after the pair met during his time as a child performer with the Jackson 5. His brother Jermaine Jackson has said that Michael Jackson wrote the romantic 1992 song “Remember the Time” with Ross in mind.
Graham is known for her role in the series The Vampire Diaries and for such recent features as Love in the Villa and Tyler Perry’s Duplicity.
In his Michael review for THR, chief film critic David Rooney called the feature “surprisingly affecting” and also noted, “The film leaves itself open to accusations of making Michael a saint, which will not sit well with the cancel crowd.”
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