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Kat Graham is cast to play Diana Ross in Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic.
Graham will play the iconic R&B singer who introduced 11-year-old Michael and the Jackson 5 to the world in 1969.
Ross (right) was the lead singer of the Supremes alongside Mary Wilson (left) and Florence Ballard (center).
Graham is a 34-year-old actress and singer from Geneva Switzerland. Her father is of Jewish decent and her mother’s family is from Liberia.
Juliano Krue Valdi, a 9-year-old newcomer, is cast to play young Michael, according to Variety.
Fans expressed outrage that Juliano is biracial, when Michael was Black.
One X/Twitter user wrote: “Michael Jackson wasn’t bi racial or a lighter skinned Black American, You people are revising our history right before our eyes.”
Another user wrote: “They couldn’t find a little Black boy. This kid looks mixed.”
Other new cast members include actor Larenz Tate as Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Record. Gordy signed Michael and his brothers to a recording contract at Motown.
Actress Nia Long will play Michael’s mother Katherine Jackson, while actor Colman Domingo plays Joe Jackson. Domingo is of Belize and Guatemalan descent.
Jermaine Jackson’s son Jaafar plays Michael as an adult. The film is set for a 2025 release.
