Which actor was cast as Diana Ross in Michael before the role was cut?

Kat Graham was cast as Diana Ross in Michael before the role was cut from the film.

Graham’s casting was announced during the film’s development, but her portrayal of Ross was later removed for legal considerations. As a result, Diana Ross does not appear as a credited on-screen character in the completed version of Michael. This makes the question a production-history fact rather than a question about the final cast.

The role is easy to confuse with other women connected to Jackson’s story. Laura Harrier plays Suzanne de Passe, the Motown executive who discovers the Jackson 5, while Nia Long portrays Katherine Jackson and Jessica Sula plays La Toya Jackson. Graham’s involvement belongs to an earlier version of the production.