Recommendations of the Editorial team
Kat Graham, who plays Diana Ross in the new Michael Jackson biopic Michael, filmed several scenes that audiences will never see. “Ahead of the release of the Michael Jackson film on April 24th, I would like to share that certain legal considerations have affected some scenes, including those I filmed with a great cast,” she wrote on social media on Thursday. “Unfortunately, even though the team worked hard, these moments are no longer part of the final cut. to preserve as much of the history as possible.”
According to Variety, producers and director Antoine Fuqua cut several scenes from the end of the film because they were related to a child sexual abuse lawsuit Jackson faced in 1993. A clause in Jackson’s settlement with the plaintiff prohibited any depiction or mention of the minor boy in film depictions of Jackson’s life. The magazine speculates that the Ross scenes were removed in conjunction with these deleted sequences.
Representatives for Lionsgate and the film “Michael” did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ROLLING STONE.
Sharp criticism of the biopic
The biopic, which hits theaters on Friday, has already come under massive criticism because it ignores Jackson’s controversial sides – including allegations of sexual abuse. The film, which ends in 1988, stars Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, son of Jermaine Jackson, in the lead role as a pop star. Two of Jaafar’s cousins, sons of Tito, expressed their support for the film before its theatrical release. “Sorry media, you no longer define who Michael Jackson really was,” Taj Jackson said.
ROLLING STONE’s film critic David Fear wrote in his review that no one should have ever expected a real Michael Jackson biopic – the legal thicket was too thick. “This is not a biopic,” he wrote. “This is the Passion of Saint Michael, staged with great fidelity and emphasis on Jackson’s undeniable suffering and his equally undeniable talent. … To paraphrase a Jackson song: Please stop. Enough is enough.”
