Diana Ross Scenes Cut From New Michael Jackson Biopic Over 'Legal Considerations'

Kat Graham had been due to play the music icon in the new film, Michael.

Scenes depicting Kat Graham as Diana Ross were apparently cut from the new Michael Jackson biopic on legal grounds.

Back in 2024, it was announced that Kat would be playing the music legend – who was a friend of Michael Jackson’s, and starred alongside him in the screen musical The Wiz – in the new film.

However, on Thursday afternoon, the Vampire Diaries star confirmed that her scenes had been axed.

“I want to share that certain legal considerations affected a few scenes, including the ones I filmed with an incredible cast,” she told her Instagram followers.

“Unfortunately, those moments are no longer part of the final cut, though the team worked hard to preserve as much of the story as possible.”

Ahead of the movie’s release later this week, critics have been weighing in on the film, titled simply Michael, with several outlets giving it scathing one- and two-star reviews.

One major criticism of the movie is the fact that it ends in 1988, meaning many major controversies surrounding the Thriller singer – most notably the several allegations of child sex abuse made against him in her lifetime – were not addressed in the film.

Variety reported earlier this month that one scene was meant to be included, which would have seen police officers searching the Jackson estate, Neverland ranch, after he was accused of child molestation in the early 1990s.

However, the outlet claimed that this sequence was eventually cut due to a legal clause in a settlement between the Grammy winner and one of his accusers, forbidding his name and likeness from ever being used in a film.

Oscar nominee Colman Domingo – who plays Joe Jackson in the film – previously suggested that Michael Jackson’s later life could potentially be explored in a sequel.

Meanwhile, it’s been reported that around three and a half hours of footage was shot for Michael, which was eventually cut down to the two-hour finished product hitting cinemas on Friday.

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