Kat Graham will play Diana Ross in Michael Jackson biopic.
The 34-year-old actress and singer is the latest star to be cast in director Antoine Fuqua’s film about the King of Pop as the cast for Michael continues to take shape.
Kat was asked to introduce the Jackson 5 to the world, playing the role of the iconic Supremes frontwoman who remained a constant influence on the “Beat It” hitmaker.
Larenz Tate has been cast in the role of Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records who helped redefine music by providing the foundation for the success of artists such as the Jackson 5, Diana Ross, the Supremes and Stevie Wonder.
Other new cast members include Jessica Sula as Michael’s sister La Toya Jackson, Liv Simone as soul legend Gladys Knight, Kevin Shanik as Dick Clark, and Jackson’s security guard-turned-friend. This includes Kaylin Darrell Jones, who played Bill Bray.
Meanwhile, Kendrick Sampson will play music industry titan Quincy Jones. He first met Michael when the singer was just 12 years old, and they went on to collaborate on hit albums Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad. .
Jaafar Jackson, the King of Pop’s nephew, will play Michael in the film, which is scheduled to be released in 2025, and Fuqua previously said the film will explore “the good, the bad and the ugly” of Michael’s career. He emphasized that it would be a feature, and Michael rose from child stardom. He would go on to become the biggest pop star on the planet, but faced allegations of child sexual abuse and tragically died in 2009 at the age of 50.
Asked about his approach to the film, the Training Day director told Entertainment Weekly: And the ugly ones. ”
Michael’s eldest son, Prince Jackson, also works closely with the cast and crew on set in his brother’s place.